3 Mumbai doctors, Accused of pushing Junior to kill herself, arrested

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, May 29, 2019 : Three doctors accused of abetting the suicide of a junior at a state-run hospital in Mumbai have been arrested. Payal Tadvi, who worked a gynacologist at BYL Nair Hospital, hanged herself in her hostel room after facing caste slurs from three of her senior colleagues, NDTV reported.

 

The accused doctors -Bhakti Mehar, Hema Ahuja and Ankita Khandilwal- had denied the charges levelled against them by Payal’s mother Abeda Tadvi who claimed that her daughter had committed suicide after being unable to bear months of torture by the trio.

Dr Tadvi’s husband Salman and mother Abida Salim has demanded "strictest action" against the three women doctors. The husband alleged the three doctors had ragged and humiliated her on WhatsApp, using casteist slurs.

"She was picked on for being lower caste and was ragged quite a bit by her seniors. The seniors said they will not let her study. They used to humiliate her on WhatsApp too," her husband Salman told NDTV.

"We want the government to intervene. The police are not taking any action. It is possible that Payal was murdered by the three women doctors," Mr Salman was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Dr Tadvi’s mother Abeda said she was asked by her daughter to not give a written complaint against her seniors as it would impact her career. Ms Abeda also claimed the senior doctors tortured her over "petty issues" including throwing files at her in front of her patients.

"Payal used to tell me about the torture which she was facing by her seniors on petty issues. They threw files on her face in front of patients," Ms Abeda was quoted by PTI as saying. "Payal used to tell me not to give a written complaint against her seniors despite being harassed by them. She would say that doing so would adversely impact her career," she said.

Dr Tadvi’s family has alleged she was taunted as she belonged to a Scheduled Tribe.

The three women doctors on the other hand, told an association of resident doctors in a letter that they be given a "fair probe" and asked the body to "give justice" to them.

"This is not the way to do an investigation through police force and media pressure, without hearing our side," the three doctors said in the letter to the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD).

The resident doctors’ association has suspended the three doctors, reported PTI. A senior official from the association told PTI that they had credible inputs over the allegations against the three doctors and assured full co-operation with the police over the matter.

Protestors, including the parents of Dr Tadvi, staged a demonstration outside the hospital. Members of Dalit and tribal organisations, including the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, also took part in the protest.

Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad expressed solidarity with the protestors as well, saying he would visit Maharashtra if needed to "fight for justice for our younger sister".

The National Commission for Women has written to the director of the hospital, requesting an investigation and to inform the commission of action taken, reported news agency ANI.

The state women’s commission has also served a notice to the hospital, demanding a reply from the authorities within eight days.

The three doctors were charged under the Atrocities Act, the Anti-Ragging Act and the IT Act and Section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.

Dr Tadvi, who worked as a gynaecologist, committed suicide on May 22.