A PhD student's tragic suicide in Pune has led to the arrest of her research guide, who is accused of harassment and inappropriate behaviour, sparking investigations into the circumstances surrounding the case.
A 30-year-old woman pursuing her PhD allegedly committed suicide at her residence in Pune following harassment by her research guide, police said on Monday.
The accused, an assistant director at the Botanical Survey of India's Koregaon Park office, has been arrested, they said.
According to police, the woman allegedly hanged herself at her home in the Chinchwad area on Saturday. She left behind a note in which she purportedly accused her guide of inappropriate behaviour and harassment, they said.
The woman had completed her Master's in Botany and had been pursuing her PhD under the guidance of the accused since August 2025, an official from Bhosari MIDC police station said.
"We have registered a case against the accused for abetment of suicide and he has been arrested," the official said.