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Mumbai doctor commits suicide, three seniors booked

Hindustan Times | ByFaisal Tandel, Mumbai
May 24, 2019 12:34 AM IST

The deceased Payal Tadvi was harassed by the three doctors as she belonged to a lower caste, her family members alleged

Three senior doctors of BYL Nair Hospital have been booked for abetment of suicide on Thursday after a 26-year-old post-graduate student at the hospital committed suicide by hanging herself at the college hostel on Wednesday.

The deceased Payal Tadvi was harassed by the three doctors as she belonged to a lower caste, her family members alleged. On the basis of a complaint lodged by Tadvi’s parents, the Agripada police have registered a case against Dr Hema Ahuja, Dr Bhakti Mehar and Dr Ankita Khandilwal under section 306 (abetment for suicide) of the Indian penal code (IPC), sections of the SC/ST Atrocities Act, Anti-Ragging Act and Information Technology Act, 2000.

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Dr Ramesh Bharmal, dean, BYL Nair Hospital remained unavailable for a comment. However, the administrative medical officer (AMO) of the hospital said that the woman was a second-year gynaecology student and the exact cause of suicide is yet unknown.

On Wednesday evening, Tadvi was found hanging on the eight floor of the college hostel. After primary investigation, police had registered an accidental death report (ADR) case. However, Tadvi’s parents came to Mumbai and filed a case against the three doctors on Thursday, police said.

“On Wednesday, we had registered a case of accidental death. However, we registered a case against the three doctors for abetment of suicide after Tadvi’s family lodged a complaint on Thursday. Investigations are on,” said S Agawane, senior police inspector, Agripada police station.

According to the police, Tadvi was in her second-year of doctor of medicine (MD) at Nair Hospital. She was a native of Jalgaon and had completed her MBBS from Miraj, a city in the southern part of the state. Tadvi’s husband, Dr Salim Tadvi, worked as an assistant professor at Cooper Hospital in Mumbai.

Nilesh Tadvi, brother of Tadvi, said, “On Wednesday, I received a call informing us that Tadvi was admitted in ICU. On reaching Mumbai, we got to know that she was no more.”

“Tadvi had been complaining about three senior doctors at the hospital who were harassing her from a long time. She alleged that the doctors would not allow her to meet her husband or have food during working hours as she belonged to a lower caste. They also threatened her that she would not be able to complete her MD,” Nilesh said.

Abeda Salim Tadvi, 53, Tadvi’s mother, said that she used to often visit Nair Hospital for her cancer treatment.

“Whenever I visited the hospital, I noticed that the three doctors would not allow my daughter to meet me. On Wednesday, at around 4pm, Tadvi gave me a call and started crying and narrated the harassment she was facing. I ensured her that we will visit her on Thursday and look for solutions to the problem,” Abeda said.

Tadvi’s family claimed that Tadvi was also harassed on a group that was made for doctors on WhatsApp. The doctors used to humiliate her on the group as she belonged to scheduled caste (SC).

“A few months back, Tadvi had sent us screenshots of the chat on the WhatsApp group. We had approached the superintendent of police of Jalgaon complaining about the issue. However, we have submitted the chats to the police now,” said Tadvi’ relative.

Salim Tadvi, Tadvi’s father, has appealed to the police to take strict actions against the three doctors who took his daughter’s life.

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