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Journalism of Courage
In an open letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the NGO Jan Arogya Abhiyan (JAA) has called for a case of “institutional murder” to be registered and “punish all who are guilty” in the Satara doctor suicide case.
Dr Kishor Khilare, Dr Abhay Shukla and other activists with the people’s health organisation JAA, in a statement issued on Saturday said that the incident where a Satara doctor working on contract at a government hospital allegedly died by suicide raised serious questions like how safe were women employees in Maharashtra today, especially those working in the health sector.
On October 22, a young woman doctor working at Phaltan Sub-District Hospital in Satara district died by suicide. “There are reports that this doctor had been pressured by the administration to falsify certain medico-legal reports, to serve powerful vested interests. Such pressures are likely to have also contributed to the stress faced by this young doctor. Earlier, on July 19, 2025, the same doctor had submitted a written complaint naming two other police sub-inspectors. However, since the police department and the health administration failed to act on her complaint, she continued to suffer in her search for justice and finally ended her life. Had timely action been taken on her complaint, this tragic death could have been prevented,” Dr Shukla said.
JAA activists said the incident didn’t just take away the life of a young woman doctor, but also exposed the insensitivity and failure of the entire system. They said this wasn’t merely a suicide, but an institutional murder caused by patriarchal attitudes, administrative apathy, and negligence within the system
The JAA has demanded that a case be registered as “institutional murder” and charges should filed against Police Sub-Inspector Gopal Badne, Prashant Bankar — one of the two men the doctor had named in a suicide noted on her palm, and all senior officials who failed to act on the doctor’s earlier complaint. “Appoint an independent judicial inquiry committee to ensure justice for the deceased doctor’s family, and award exemplary punishment to all those found guilty,” the activists said.
They also urged that there was an immediate need to ensure safe accommodation, functional sexual harassment prevention mechanisms, and grievance redressal committees in all workplaces for women serving in rural areas.
“Bonded medical officers serve for a limited, temporary period. Therefore, they should not be assigned sole responsibility for medico-legal cases. If any doctor or staff member is pressured to manipulate or modify such reports, the responsible officials must face strict disciplinary action,” JAA activists added.
