Sapkal claimed that the 28-year-old doctor faced harassment after she refused to meet the demands of “powerful people.” The doctor was found dead in a Phaltan hotel room on October 23
Congress leader Harshwardhan Sapkal. File Pic
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal on Wednesday condemned the alleged suicide of a woman doctor in Satara district, calling it a “shameful” incident that highlights the lack of safety for working women and students in the state, news agency PTI reported.
Sapkal claimed that the 28-year-old doctor faced harassment after she refused to meet the demands of “powerful people.” The doctor was found dead in a Phaltan hotel room on October 23. In a note written on her palm, she accused Police Sub-inspector Gopal Badane of repeatedly raping her and a software engineer of mentally harassing her. Both the men have since been arrested.
“The incident is utterly unfortunate and shameful. It exposes how women remain unsafe in a state that calls itself progressive,” Sapkal said, urging stricter protection for women in workplaces and educational institutions, PTI reported.
Citing recent incidents, he criticised the state’s handling of women’s safety, pointing out “irresponsible” comments made following the Pune bus depot rape case and referring to an instance where a Union minister’s daughter was allegedly harassed at a public fair.
Satara doctor’s phone accessed using fingerprint to erase data after her death, allege relatives
The relatives of a woman doctor, who allegedly died by suicide in the Satara district of Maharashtra last week, have claimed that someone used the 28-year-old’s fingerprint to unlock her phone following her death and deleted crucial information from it.
They also alleged that the ‘last seen’ status on the doctor’s WhatsApp account showed activity even after her death, raising suspicion that someone else may have operated it, news agency PTI reported.
The 28-year-old doctor who hailed from Beed district in central Maharashtra was posted at a government hospital in Satara. Her body was found in a hotel room in the Phaltan town of Satara district on the night of October 23.
In a suicide note written on her palm, the doctor alleged that Sub-inspector Gopal Badane had raped her multiple times, while a software engineer mentally harassed her. Both the sub-inspector and the engineer were arrested on October 25.
Speaking to reporters on Monday night, the victim’s uncle claimed that the woman doctor’s mobile phone had been accessed using her fingerprint after her death, and important data had been deleted.
"We were informed about the doctor’s death by hanging, but by the time we reached the spot (hotel room), her body had already been taken to the hospital. We later found out that a suicide note was written on her hand," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
