Maharashtra Doctor Suicide Case: CCTV Footage Debunks Murder Theory, Shows Solo Check-In
The newly surfaced CCTV footage, released by the hotel owner, shows the young doctor entering the premises alone and completing her check-in.
CCTV footage from a hotel in Maharashtra’s Satara district has confirmed that the 28-year-old woman doctor, whose death last week triggered a political storm, had checked into the lodge alone on the night she died. The footage directly contradicts claims by some political figures that she may have been coerced or murdered. The doctor, originally from Beed and posted at a government hospital in Satara, was found dead in her hotel room on 23 October, with a note on her palm accusing two men of sexual assault and harassment.
The newly surfaced CCTV footage, released by the hotel owner, shows the young doctor entering the premises alone and completing her check-in shortly after leaving software engineer Prashant Bankar’s residence, where she had attended a Lakshmi Puja that evening.
The release of the footage follows allegations by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sushma Andhare, who questioned whether the doctor had entered the hotel voluntarily and suggested the possibility of coercion. In response, the hotel owner provided the footage to the police, stating that no one accompanied her at the time of entry.
According to the preliminary investigation, the doctor had been invited to Bankar’s home for a Lakshmi Puja ceremony on 23 October. Maharashtra State Commission for Women chairperson Rupali Chakankar said an argument broke out between the two during the event over photographs taken at the ritual. “She reportedly left the house after the argument. Bankar’s father brought her back briefly, but she left again later and checked into a nearby lodge,” Chakankar said.
Before taking her life, the doctor allegedly sent a series of text messages to Bankar, expressing emotional distress. “She indicated she might take an extreme step,” Chakankar noted, citing details from messages recovered by investigators. Police also confirmed that she made a late-night call to Bankar, though it remains unclear whether he answered.
The following morning, hotel staff found her body. The post-mortem confirmed death by hanging, while the final forensic report is awaited.
A handwritten note on her palm named Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) Gopal Badane and Bankar. The doctor accused Badane of sexually assaulting her multiple times and alleged that Bankar, her landlord’s son, subjected her to prolonged mental harassment. Both men have since been arrested as part of the ongoing investigation.
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