AGENCIES / MUMBAI
Two more doctors have been arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of a junior colleague, Dr. Payal Tadvi by tormenting her with casteist slurs at a state-run hospital in Mumbai.
So far three were arrested in the case. The police said, Dr. Bhakti Mehere, was arrested yesterday after initial interrogation, the two other accused – Hema Ahuja and Ankita Khandelwal – were absconding.
However, both Ahuja and Khandelwal were arrested in the morning today by the Agripada police in central Mumbai. They are being produced in a court today.
The three were booked after their junior colleague Payal Tadvi at B Y L Nair Hospital committed suicide at her hostel last week. Tadvi, 26, hanged herself at her room last Wednesday following which her family alleged that the doctors taunted her by ragging and hurling casteist abuses.
The accused 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 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.
Earlier Mumbai’s special court has remanded three senior women doctors, accused of allegedly abetting the suicide of a junior colleague Dr. Payal Tadvi to police custody till 31st May.
The accused, Bhakti Mehere, Hema Ahuja and Ankita Khandelwal allegedly passed casteist remarks and did not allow her to perform her duties at the state run B Y L Nair Hospital. The accused have been booked under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Anti-Ragging Act, the IT Act and section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.
Additional Sessions Judge R M Sadrani accepted the prosecution’s arguments, seeking their custody to ascertain if they misplaced or destroyed Dr. Tadvi’s purported suicide note. Earlier, the three senior doctors had claimed that they were not even aware of the victim’s caste and had only professional interaction with her.
The accused also claimed that the deceased never complained about any harassment to the higher authorities. The three doctors termed Tadvi’s death as a very “unfortunate incident” and claimed that they all were overburdened with work and the entire hospital atmosphere was extremely stressful.
Twenty-six-year-old medical student Dr Payal Tadvi committed suicide on May 22 over alleged harassment by three seniors in Mumbai. The gynaecology 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.
Payal Tadvi Case: Confirms she was Subjected to ‘Extreme Harassment’
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 (abetment to suicide) of the IPC.