Minister says ‘serious triangle’ has emerged in case, cops dismiss claim

Two persons, Gopal Badane, a police sub inspector with Phaltan rural police and Prashant Bankar, a software engineer, have been arrested in connection with the alleged suicide of the woman doctor, who was found hanging in a hotel room in Phaltan on October 23. The woman doctor, in a note scribbled on her palm, had alleged that the PSI had raped her on four occasions while Bankar, who is her landlord’s son, had mentally harassed her.

Both Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) have alleged that the woman doctor could have been murdered because she had opposed the pressure that was put on her to alter medical reports of arrested persons. They have been demanding the arrest of former BJP MP Ranjeetsinh Naik-Nimbalkar.

Speaking to reporters in Solapur on Friday, Gore, who is the Rural Development Minister, said, “The family of the deceased doctor should get justice. And that is why the Chief Minister has directed the State DGP to constitute a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter. Still, the opposition does not seem to be satisfied.”

Gore said, “From the mobile chatting between the deceased doctor and the accused, a serious triangle is emerging. We cannot bring this situation before the people. The ongoing politics over the death of the doctor should now stop.”

Gore said the cellphones of the deceased doctor and the two accused have been seized. “Going by the chats in these mobiles, it seems the situation is completely different. We respect the deceased sister and that is why the police do not want to bring the facts before the public. However, some people are indulging in cheap politics to gain mileage out of it,” he said.

When contacted by The Indian Express, Gore confirmed what he had said. “Yes, a serious triangle has emerged from the WhatsApp chats.”
When asked whether he got information from the police, the minister said he would reveal it later.

When contacted, Satara Superintendent of Police Tushar Doshi denied that any “triangle” has emerged in the case. “I don’t want to reply to any political comment. I will not use the ‘triangle’ word, but it is true that they knew each other,” he said.

The death of the doctor has created a political storm in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) have claimed that the doctor may not have ended her life but might have been murdered.

Sena spokesperson Sushma Andhare said, “The sister of the deceased doctor has claimed that the handwriting on her palm is not hers and was written by someone else. The claim of the family is supported by two handwritings. One is the complaint letter written by the deceased to the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in June and another is on her palm. Both these handwritings do not match at all. It is clear that someone else might have written on her palm, raising the suspicion of the murder of the doctor.”

Andhare alleged that the entire system seems to have been manipulated in a bid to protect the guilty. “A plan seem to be at work to protect the guilty at the behest of a political leader from Phaltan,” she said.

Andhare said two personal assistants of former BJP MP Ranjeetsinh Naik-Nimbalkar had put pressure on the doctor to alter a medical report of an arrested contractor. “They had made her speak to the former MP on the cellphone. She had written about this pressure in her complaint sent to the DSP,” she said.

Targeting Nimbalkar, Andhare said, “The former MP has used his political clout to pressure the police to file false complaints and arrest several persons including contractors.

Echoing the views of Andhare, NCP (SP) leader Mehboob Shaikh said, “We are demanding an FIR should be filed at least against 8-10 persons in this case. So far, FIR has been filed against two persons. All these persons should be arrested. The deceased doctor in her statement before the inquiry committee had clearly mentioned that she was finding it difficult to take the pressure and had named 8-10 persons including two personal assistants of the former MP. She had also named the former MP.”

Shaikh said his party has demanded a thorough probe should be carried out in how the Phaltan police through political pressure filed false cases against several people including contractors. “In one case, at least 25 cases were filed against a contractor who is in jail for three years… All these cases needed to be reviewed by the SIT,” he said.

Shaikh said the government has only announced the setting up of an SIT, but it has not announced the names of its members. “We are demanding that an officer like Meeran Borwankar should head the SIT and a retired High Court judge should also be appointed to the SIT,” he said.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also heads the Home Ministry, on Friday directed the State Director-General of Police to set up an SIT under a woman officer with immediate effect. The move follows a demand from the family of the deceased doctor. When Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had called up the deceased doctor’s family two days ago, they had urged him to pursue the matter with the government regarding setting up the SIT.

While Naik-Nimbalkar has consistently denied any involvement in the case of the doctor’s death, BJP leaders have also come forward to support him. “Ranjeetsinh Naik-Nimbalkar is not at all involved in the doctor’s death case. Yet attempts are being made by Sushma Andhare and Mehboob Shaikh to drag the name of the former MP into the matter,” said BJP leader Prahlad-Salunkhe-Patil.

Last Sunday, Fadnavis attended an event organised by the former BJP MP in Phaltan and gave a clean chit to him with regards to the doctor’s death. After allegations surfaced against Nimbalkar, Fadnavis on Wednesday avoided meeting Nimbalkar when both were present at a hotel in Pune.