WEB DESK
The anti-ragging committee of the TN Topiwala National Medical College in Mumbai has found that Dr Payal Tadvi faced “extreme harassment” from three senior colleagues for several days before she committed suicide on May 22.
On the morning of May 22, she was admonished by the accused senior colleagues in the presence of other staff and patients. The second-year PG student was seen crying as she left. During the nine days between her husband filing a complaint with the gynaecology unit head of the college and her death, she faced “extreme harassment”, casteist remarks and was unfairly admonished several times. The seniors had come to know of the complaint, the report says.
The incident raises questions over the ability of the college to tackle ragging and discrimination, as the family claims that Payal Tadvi’s harassment worsened after a verbal complaint was filed with the unit head.
The report is based on statements of 30 people, including Payal’s family, colleagues and staff. It has corroborated the claim that the three seniors, Hema Ahuja, Ankita Khandelwal and Bhakti Mehare, harassed 26-year-old Tadvi, who belonged to a Tadvi Muslim Bhil Scheduled Tribe community. The three seniors were arrested as of Wednesday morning. They have been booked under relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Anti-Ragging Act, the IT Act and Section 306 (abatement to suicide) of the IPC.
Twenty-six-year-old medical student Dr Payal Tadvi committed suicide on May 22 over alleged harassment by three seniors in Mumbai. The gynecology PG student belonged to the Tadvi Bhil Muslim community and got admission through a reserved category seat in TN Topiwala National Medical College in 2018. A year later, she was found hanging in her hostel room. The community, to which she belonged, is concentrated in four states of India.
Who are Tadvi Bhil Muslims?
Tadvi Bhil, a tribal community listed under Scheduled Tribes, is found in small pockets of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. They are a sub-caste of the larger Bhil community. Those who adopted Islam are known as Tadvi Bhil Muslims
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