On August 27, Dr Rajendra Rupnavar climbed {an electrical} tower close to Sion railway station and advised the police under that he was dealing with motion at his office and had been faraway from his job. As hearth brigade personnel tried to influence him to come back down, the 28-year-old physician, who had travelled from Satara to Mumbai two days earlier, allegedly tried to hold himself outdoors one among Mumbai’s busiest suburban prepare stations.
He was introduced down alive and brought to Sion Hospital. 4 days later, he died after struggling a cardiac arrest.
The loss of life of the younger physician from a farming household to the tower outdoors one among Mumbai’s busiest railway stations is now the topic of a police investigation and a requirement from his household for an SIT probe. His brother and colleagues allege that Rupnavar had been beneath strain after refusing to situation a medical health certificates required for a firearm licence, and that his subsequent suspension and departmental inquiry pushed him additional into misery.
The allegations have additionally introduced scrutiny on the administration of the Sub-District Hospital in Phaltan, the place Rupnavar labored as a contractual medical officer.
In line with his brother Sagar Rupnavakar, the difficulty started on July 27, when a person recognized by the household as Prasad Kondedeshmukh allegedly got here to the Phaltan hospital with a bouncer and sought a medical health certificates required for acquiring a gun licence.
Rupnavar allegedly refused to situation the certificates, citing technical difficulties.
“My brother refused to situation the health certificates as there have been some technical difficulties. The individual threatened him, saying that he was a former minister’s private assistant and that he would see how my brother survived within the hospital,” Sagar alleged.
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A verbal altercation adopted, in line with the household. Sagar alleged that Kondedeshmukh subsequently approached Rupnavar’s senior, Dr Leela Madane, and obtained the certificates.
The following day, July 28, Rupnavar was suspended and a departmental inquiry was initiated in opposition to him, Sagar alleged.
For Rupnavar’s household, the timing of the motion was important. They are saying he believed he was being punished for refusing to situation the certificates.
“He belonged to a household of farmers and had earned his diploma via onerous work. He was depressed as a result of he was suspended with none motive,” Sagar mentioned.
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Rupnavar’s buddies and colleagues say he didn’t need to merely stroll away from the matter.
Dr Amol Bansude, a medical intern at Pune’s Sassoon Normal Hospital and a buddy of Rupnavar, mentioned he had spoken to him in regards to the strain he was dealing with.
“I advised him to overlook this episode and transfer on,” Bansude mentioned.
Bansude mentioned he had even requested his buddy to depart the Phaltan job and are available to Pune, the place there have been openings at Kamala Nehru Hospital.
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“However he refused. He believed in justice and was decided that justice be completed,” Bansude mentioned.
Rupnavar had come from a poor household and had labored his means via medical training, ultimately gaining admission to Grant Medical Faculty in Mumbai. He had been working on the Phaltan hospital for round one-and-a-half years.
His colleagues mentioned he started talking publicly in regards to the alleged harassment and strain via WhatsApp statuses, Instagram reels and different social media posts.
On July 29, he posted a suicide be aware written on his left palm as his WhatsApp standing. Dr Apurv Dalvi, nationwide coordinator of the All India Medical College students Affiliation, alerted the Indian Medical Affiliation.
Dalvi mentioned Rupnavar had additionally referred to as him earlier.
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“I’m feeling so unhealthy that I used to be caught up with a protest—international medical graduates in New Delhi—that I couldn’t instantly attend Dr Rupnavar’s name a fortnight in the past,” Dalvi mentioned.
After the IMA was alerted, its Maharashtra president Dr Santosh Kulkarni contacted Medical Superintendent Dr Leela Madane.
“This was three weeks in the past once we requested them to conduct a correct enquiry. Dr Madane knowledgeable us that he was wonderful and at his brother’s home,” Kulkarni mentioned.
Rupnavar’s household says his misery had change into evident nicely earlier than he left for Mumbai.
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In line with Sagar, his brother had written on his palm that he would take an excessive step if his superiors weren’t suspended inside a month.
“He had written on his palm that he would take an excessive step if his superiors weren’t suspended inside a month. He did precisely that,” Sagar alleged.
The household says Rupnavar felt he had been suspended regardless of doing what he believed was his skilled responsibility.
His buddies, in the meantime, say he had change into more and more upset.
On August 25, Rupnavar left Satara and travelled to Mumbai, in line with his household.
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His colleagues mentioned he had come to the town hoping to carry his grievances to the eye of senior authorities. They alleged that he was unable to satisfy the officers involved.
Two days later, at round 8.30 am, the Dadar Authorities Railway Police obtained info {that a} man had climbed {an electrical} tower close to Sion railway station.
Police and hearth brigade groups rushed to the spot.
“We had obtained info {that a} man had climbed an electrical tower and was visibly distressed. We alerted the fireplace brigade division and two groups reached the spot. We have been all attempting to pacify him, however he was in misery and was not able to pay attention,” mentioned Anil Kadam, senior police inspector of Dadar GRP.
The person recognized himself as Rajendra Rupnavakar.
In line with the GRP, he advised police that an inquiry had been initiated in opposition to him at his office and that he had been faraway from his job.
He then allegedly tried to hold himself.
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Fireplace brigade personnel rescued him utilizing an computerized staircase and took him to Sion Hospital.
Rupnavar was admitted to the ICU in a crucial situation. His household was knowledgeable.
His brother mentioned that medical doctors initially revived him.
“On August 27, the medical doctors had revived him. I had seen him and he was doing nicely. Nevertheless, he died yesterday. We’re puzzled,” Sagar mentioned.
In line with the Sion Hospital administration, Rupnavar had suffered a cervical harm and developed problems associated to it. He subsequently suffered a cardiac arrest throughout remedy and died on August 31.
The hospital has mentioned the precise medical explanation for loss of life will probably be established via medical and autopsy data, which will probably be submitted to police.
Whether or not the alleged strain Rupnavar confronted at work had a connection together with his suicide try can even must be established via the investigation.
On Monday, Dr Leela Madane, Medical Superintendent of the Phaltan Sub-District Hospital, was suspended.
The suspension order cited alleged insensitivity and harsh communication with junior medical officers. It additionally referred to an inquiry committee’s findings of mismanagement and lack of management within the hospital administration.
Madane was unavailable for remark.
Rupnavar’s loss of life has additionally revived questions in regards to the working setting on the hospital. A lady physician who had labored on the similar hospital died by suicide in 2025, after which allegations of office harassment and strain had emerged and medical doctors’ organisations had sought an neutral inquiry.
The Dadar GRP has registered a zero FIR primarily based on a criticism by Rupnavar’s household. A case of abetment to suicide has been registered and the matter transferred to Satara police as a result of the occasions that allegedly preceded the suicide try came about there.
“This was a zero FIR registered primarily based on the criticism filed by the relations of the deceased. Fees of abetment of suicide have been invoked. The Authorities Railway Police (GRP) then despatched the case to Satara police,” a police officer mentioned.
Satara Superintendent of Police Nikhil Pingle confirmed that the case had been transferred.
“The case registered at GRP Dadar has been transferred to Satara police, and a probe has been launched,” he mentioned.
The household, nonetheless, needs the investigation to transcend the occasions at Sion. It has demanded an SIT probe into Rupnavar’s suspension, the departmental inquiry and the alleged strain surrounding the medical health certificates.
“We would like a good SIT probe and the elimination of Dr Leela Madane. Till then, we is not going to settle for his physique,” Sagar mentioned.
NCP (SP) chief Rohit Pawar has additionally visited the household and demanded an SIT probe, in addition to the elimination of Rupnavar’s superiors pending an inquiry.
Whereas the Central unit of Maharashtra Affiliation of Resident Docs have demanded an instantaneous, neutral and clear investigation into the circumstances of Dr Rupnavar’s loss of life, Dr Atharva Shinde, President additionally mentioned that there needs to be sturdy legal guidelines and institutional mechanisms to stop psychological harassment of medical doctors.“ We’d like a secure ,dignified and supportive working setting for each physician,” Dr Shinde mentioned. Dr Dalvi additionally confused that there needs to be a portal the place direct grievances can attain and well timed intervention might be taken up. Dr Kulkarni has additionally mentioned that this second tragic incident associated to alleged harassment and exterior/political strain are deeply regarding. “No physician needs to be pushed to the brink of despair due to harassment or exterior strain,”he mentioned.
