PUNE, Oct. 28 -- Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare has made serious allegations in the Satara doctor's death by suicide case. A day after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis gave a clean chit to BJP leader and former member of parliament (MP) from Madha, Ranjitsingh Naik Nimbalkar, Andhare claimed Naik Nimbalkar had misused the police machinery to browbeat poor sugarcane cutters at his sugar mill in Beed district. On Saturday, opposition politicians had linked Naik Nimbalkar to the case, where the doctor had alleged that she had been pressured by the police and a senior politician to alter fitness certificates for various accused. Amid the many turns the case has since taken, Andhare has also suggested that the 29-year-old doctor may not have died by suicide but may have been murdered. Addressing the media in Pune on Monday, the Sena (UBT) leader claimed that Naik Nimbalkar had filed 277 First Information Reports (FIRs) against sugarcane cutters at his mill in Beed district. "It is clear that by controlling the police station, he files various cases to harass people. From 2022 onwards, he has filed 277 FIRs against workers of his sugar mill," she said. According to her, cane cutters were hired from Beed on advance payment. When they refused to work, Naik Nimbalkar allegedly used the police machinery to detain them, threatened and physically assaulted them, and filed cases against them. When a doctor refused to issue fitness certificates for them, Naik Nimbalkar allegedly pressured the medical staff. Andhare also suggested that the Satara woman doctor may not have hanged herself in her hotel room but may have been killed after being called there. "The doctor's sister has claimed that the handwriting in the suicide note does not belong to her. The original suicide note may have been removed or tampered with, as it seems unlikely that someone who could write a four-page letter would end her life with just four lines written on her hand," said Andhare raising doubts about the note's authenticity. The Sena (UBT) leader demanded that the police investigate whether the doctor had gone to the hotel voluntarily or was called there. She claimed the hotel belongs to a close associate of Naik Nimbalkar and a probable BJP candidate in the municipal elections. She also criticised the police for hastening to remove the doctor's body, asking why they did not wait for her family to arrive before taking custody of the body after confirming her identity. Andhare also drew attention to the Satara-based Agawane family, whose twin daughters allegedly attempted suicide due to relentless harassment by Naik Nimbalkar's workers. She highlighted Varsha Agawane's case as one among many instances of cruelty allegedly linked to Naik Nimbalkar's influence. Refuting the allegations of misuse of police machinery, Tushar Doshi, superintendent of police, Satara, said, "From 2022-2023, to address issues in sugar mills, it was decided to file cases against workers and contractors. Accordingly, around 1,800 cases were filed across Maharashtra, of which around 1,000 were in the Kolhapur range. Similar cases were filed in Satara as well. Most cases were in Western Maharashtra because the region has the highest concentration of sugar mills." Regarding the murder allegations and the disputed suicide note, Doshi added, "This is a suicide case, and our investigation is ongoing." Meanwhile, Naik Nimbalkar is suing Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare and Jayashree Agawane, for maligning his reputation. He claims all the allegations they have made are baseless. His lawyer, Dheeraj Sayajirao Ghadge, told the media on Monday that legal notices have been sent to both Andhare and Agawane, demanding public written apologies within 48 hours....