Beed, Oct 29 (NationPress) Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, reached out via phone to the family of a woman doctor from the Satara hospital in Maharashtra who tragically took her own life, promising them justice.

“Fear not, we are here for you. The Congress Party will apply pressure on the government to secure justice for the doctor,” he reassured them.

LoP Rahul Gandhi also requested comprehensive details of the situation from the victim's family and Maharashtra Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal.

The state Congress party announced on X: “In Satara, Maharashtra, a female doctor committed suicide after enduring prolonged rape and harassment. Today, the Leader of the Opposition, @RahulGandhi, spoke with her family over the phone and assured them of obtaining justice. Present during this conversation were Maharashtra Congress President @INCHarshsapkal and IYC President @UdayBhanuIYC. The circumstances surrounding the woman doctor's demise raise serious concerns about women's safety in our society. We stand firmly with her family and will ensure that justice is served at all costs.”

State Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal, who visited the woman's family, has called for the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct an inquiry overseen by a High Court judge, demanding the immediate arrest of former BJP MP Ranjitsinh Naik Nimbalkar.

“It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to assert that the young doctor's death from Beed district was not merely a suicide, but rather a murder. The doctor ended her life under immense pressure and repeated harassment,” he stated.

In statements to the media after his visit, Sapkal emphasized that the woman doctor was under extreme pressure to commit wrongful acts and faced significant harassment.

“Numerous incidents highlighting Naik Nimbalkar's violent behavior have surfaced. It is infuriating that even before any investigation commenced, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis publicly exonerated Ranjitsinh Naik Nimbalkar. This is completely unacceptable. The investigation must be conducted outside Phaltan, supervised by a senior female officer,” he asserted.

He vowed that Congress would not stay silent and would take to the streets to demand justice for the woman doctor.

Additionally, Sapkal expressed disappointment regarding the State Women’s Commission's involvement in this case. Instead of engaging with the victim's family to gather essential information, they prioritized meeting with the police and seemed to attempt a cover-up.

“The Commission should prioritize addressing injustices faced by women; instead, they chose to defend the police. No representative from the community of women doctors has spoken up. In previous incidents in Beed, a local MLA from the ruling party would regularly comment to the media, but now he is mute. Minister Pankaja Munde must also break her silence and address this issue, despite any political pressure from the Chief Minister,” he concluded.

The 28-year-old doctor from Phaltan in Satara District died by suicide on the night of October 23. She left a suicide note on her palm and a detailed four-page letter accusing two individuals of harassment.

Satara Police have arrested the accused: Police Sub-Inspector Gopal Badane (charged with repeated rape) and Prashant Bankar (a software engineer and the son of her landlord, accused of mental harassment). Both have been placed in police custody.