Pune, 13 April 2026: A senior scientist from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) has been arrested in Pune after a 30-year-old PhD student, whom he supervised, allegedly died by suicide at her residence in Chinchwad.
The accused, identified as Dr A Benniamin, was serving as the head of office at the BSI center in Koregaon Park. Police said the student left behind a suicide note in which she held him responsible for her death.
According to the FIR filed based on a complaint by the victim’s father, the student had been facing molestation, misconduct, and mental harassment from her guide since August 2025. The complaint states that this sustained harassment led her to take the extreme step.
Police have registered a case under sections 108 (abetment of suicide) and 74 (assault or criminal force to outrage a woman’s modesty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Investigating officer Bhojraj Misal said the accused was produced before a court and has been remanded to police custody until April 15. He added that the student had been pursuing her PhD for the past two years and that further investigation is underway.
