Woman doctor's suicide: Kin demand probe by SIT, trial in Beed court
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (PTI): Family members of a woman doctor who allegedly committed suicide in Maharashtra's Satara district last week have demanded that the government set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case.
The trial should be held in a fast-track court in Beed, they said at a press conference on Monday.
"We have some demands for the chief minister. An SIT should be formed at the earliest, and we will not go to Phaltan (where the woman died by suicide) to record our statements. The case should be tried in a fast-track court in Beed. The allegations that are being made against my sister should be verified by checking the CDR (Call Detail Records)," said a woman relative.
The complaints made by the woman doctor in the past were not heeded, and a fresh inquiry should be held into them, she added.
A male relative of the deceased woman raised questions about the surrender of suspended police sub-inspector Gopal Badane, one of the two arrested accused.
"Police kept searching for him. They formed five teams and sent them in different directions. Then how did the accused surrender a day before the CM's visit (to Phaltan)? We think he destroyed all the evidence and then surrendered," the relative claimed.
The 28-year-old doctor, hailing from Beed district of central Maharashtra and posted at a government hospital in Satara, was found hanging in a hotel room in Phaltan town on the night of October 23.
In the suicide note written on her palm, she alleged that sub-inspector Gopal Badane raped her on multiple occasions, while Prashant Bankar, a software engineer, mentally harassed her.
The sub-inspector and the engineer were arrested on October 25.
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha member Rajani Patil said she messaged the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, about the incident, and he sought more details.
Patil was speaking to reporters after meeting the family.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had on Sunday termed the doctor’s alleged suicide an “institutionalised murder” and claimed her death exposes the “inhuman and insensitive” nature of the BJP-led government.
Patil said that after meeting the deceased's family, she learned that the doctor had faced harassment from the health as well as home departments.
One of the woman's relatives had claimed earlier that she faced pressure from police to change medical reports when accused individuals were brought to the government hospital at Phaltan for medical examination after an arrest.
"The inquiry should take place impartially and an SIT should be formed in this case," Patil said.
"We only say `Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'. But is this the security the `double engine' government is providing to the women? Women are not at all safe here," the parliamentatian said.
Holding a press conference in Pune, another Opposition leader, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sushma Andhare, asked whether it was a murder.
"Why did the doctor go to that hotel at midnight? What prompted her to go there at 1 am? Was she summoned there or did she go on her own? The doctor's sister is saying the handwriting on the doctor's palm is not hers. If it isn't hers, then whose is it? Did the doctor really die by suicide, or was she murdered?" Andhare asked.
By naming only Badane and Bankar as accused, the larger conspiracy was being hidden, Andhare claimed.
Maharashtra Women's Commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar on Monday said the doctor had visited accused Prashant Bankar's house on Diwali, and they had an argument after which she left.
"The call records of the deceased and the two accused reveal that the deceased was in touch with PSI Badane till March, and there was no communication between them after that," Chakankar told reporters at Phaltan in Satara district.
"The CDRs also show her communication with Bankar. On Laxmi Pujan day, the deceased was at Bankar's house. Apparently, both had an argument over clicking photos as the pictures were not properly taken, leading to a quarrel. After the argument, the doctor left the house. Bankar's father went and brought her back home, but she left again to stay at a lodge," she added.
The woman had sent messages to Bankar and indicated that she would take an extreme step, and the preliminary autopsy report indicated it was a case of suicide by hanging, Chakankar said.
Police were probing whether any other person was involved in the case, the state women's commission chairperson stated.
Referring to cross-complaints filed by the woman doctor and the police over the medical examination of arrested persons, Chakankar said the matter had been disposed of by the hospital's internal committee in July 2025.
Satara Superintendent of Police Tushar Doshi confirmed that the woman doctor was in touch with Bankar before the incident, and that there was an exchange of messages between them.
"The probe is also underway into the rape allegations mentioned in the suicide note against PSI Badane, and their joint locations and chats are being examined," he said.
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India proposes preferential trade agreement with Mexico to deal with high tariffs
New Delhi (PTI): India has proposed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mexico to help domestic exporters deal with the steep tariffs announced by the South American country, a top government official said on Monday.
Mexico has decided to impose steep import tariffs - ranging from about 5 per cent to as high as 50 per cent on a wide range of goods (about 1,463 tariff lines) from countries that do not have free trade agreements with Mexico, including India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that India has engaged with the country on the issue.
"Technical level talks are on...The only fast way forward is to try to get a preferential trade agreement (PTA) because an FTA (free trade agreement) will take a lot of time. So we are trying to see what can be a good way forward," he told reporters here.
While in an FTA two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on maximum number of goods traded between them, in a PTA, duties are cut or removed on a limited number of products.
Trading partners of Mexico cannot file a compliant against the decision on imposing high tariffs as they are WTO (World Trade Organisation) compatible.
The duties are within their bound rates, he said, adding that their primary target was not India.
"We have proposed a PTA because its a WTO-compatible way forward... we can do a PTA and try to get concessions that are required for Indian supply chains and similarly offer them concessions where they have export interests in India," Agrawal said.
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Citing support for local production and correction of trade imbalances, Mexico has approved an increase in MFN (most favoured nation) import tariffs (5-50 per cent) with effect from January 1, 2026 on 1,455 tariff lines (or product categories) within the WTO framework, targeting non-FTA partners.
Preliminary estimates suggest that this affects India's around USD 2 billion exports to Mexico particularly -- automobile, two-wheelers, auto parts, textiles, iron and steel, plastics, leather and footwear.
The measure is also aimed at curbing Chinese imports.
India-Mexico merchandise trade totalled USD 8.74 billion in 2024, with exports USD 5.73 billion, imports USD 3.01 billion, and a trade surplus of USD 2.72 billion.
The government has been continuously and comprehensively assessing Mexico's tariff revisions since the issue emerged, engaging stakeholders, safeguarding the interests of Indian exporters, and pursuing constructive dialogue to ensure a stable trade environment benefiting businesses and consumers in both countries.
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Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai has said that Mexico's decision is a matter of concern, particularly for sectors like automobiles and auto components, machinery, electrical and electronics, organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and plastics.
"Such steep duties will erode our competitiveness and risk, disrupting supply chains that have taken years to develop," Sahai said, adding that this development also underlines the little urgency for India and Mexico to fast-track a comprehensive trade agreement.
Domestic auto component manufacturers will face enhanced cost pressures with Mexico hiking duties on Indian imports, according to industry body ACMA.
