A tragic incident from Satara district of Maharashtra has shocked the state after a woman doctor from a government hospital died by suicide on Thursday night (23rd October). She left a chilling message written on her palm, accusing two police officers of repeatedly raping her over the past five months and mentally harrassing her.
The victim, Dr. Sampada Mundhe, was a 28-year-old sub-district hospital medical officer. She was found hanging in her hotel room close to the hospital, as she sometimes stayed there after long hours of duty.
Her body was found when hotel staff, noticing no response from her room, opened the door with an alternate key. Police later found that she had written her final note on her palm, naming Sub-Inspector Gopal Badane and another officer, Prashant Bankar, for sexually and mentally harassing her.
Maharashtra | Satara District Police have registered a case against PSI Gopal Badane and another civilian, namely Bankar, under charges of rape and abetment to suicide. The accused PSI has been suspended from duty with immediate effect. Police have launched an Investigation into… https://t.co/qgrU9y2qvn
— ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2025
In the message, she wrote that Gopal Badane had raped her multiple times and that both men had caused her unbearable distress. “Police inspector Gopal Badane is the reason I died. He raped me four times. He harassed me physically and mentally for more than five months,” the note reportedly read. Her body has been sent for post-mortem, and forensic experts are examining the writing for verification.
A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at Phaltan City Police Station under Sections 64(2)(N) and 108 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita. A search operation is underway to locate the absconding accused officers, Gopal Badne and Prashant Bankar. “A case has been registered against both accused. Strict action will be taken based on the investigation findings,” he said.
Meanwhile, the victim’s cousin brother made a sensational claim, that she was under immense police and political pressure to manipulate post-mortem reports. “There was a lot of police and political pressure on her to make wrong mortem reports. She tried to complain about it. My sister should get justice,” the victim’s cousin brother said.
According to the media reports, the doctor had earlier lodged a written complaint on 19th June with the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of the Phaltan Sub-Divisional Office. In her letter, she accused three officers from the Phaltan Rural Police Department of harassment and sought legal action. However, no effective steps were taken at the time.
Taking serious note of the incident, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also heads the state’s Home Department, immediately ordered the suspension of all officers named in the suicide note. In a statement, the Chief Minister’s Office said that strict action has been directed against anyone found guilty.
The Maharashtra State Commission for Women has also taken cognisance of the incident and directed the police to investigate the alleged inaction over the doctor’s complaint. Commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar said that strict instructions have been issued to the Satara Police to take firm action against the accused.
“The body of the deceased doctor has been sent to the hospital for autopsy. The commission has instructed the Superintendent of Police, Satara, to urgently search for the absconding accused and conduct a thorough investigation of the entire case,” Maharashtra State Commission for Women said in a series of post on X.
