Payal Tadvi suicide case: All three accused arrested, NCW wants hospital to probe

Mumbai, May 28: Almost a week after a second-year student of Gynaecology and Obstetrics department was found hanging in her hostel room in Mumbai city, all three doctors accused of abetting suicide of a junior colleague were arrested on Tuesday, the ANI reported on Wednesday.

The three accused doctors, Hema Ahuja, 28, Bhakti Mehere, 26, and Ankita Khandelwal, 27, had applied for bail plea claiming innocence and not even aware of the victim's caste and had only professional interaction with her.

Hours after they moved the court, all three were arrested. They have been booked under the Atrocities Act, the Anti-Ragging Act and the IT Act and Section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the IPC.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women, wrote a letter to BYL Nair hospital authorities demanding investigation and action into the death of Tadvi. The Maharashtra State Commission for Women has also taken cognisance of the matter and issued a notice to the hospital authorities demanding a reply within eight days on the action taken to implement the anti-ragging law.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Head of the Gynaecology department, at BYL Nair Hospital, Dr SD Shirodkar was suspended until further notice.

The mother of Payal, had said three women doctors had called the 26-year-old "nichle jaati ke log" and said she should not be allowed to study the course.

Based on her complaint, the Agripada police have registered a complaint under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), SC/ST Atrocities Act, Anti-Ragging Act and Information Technology Act, 2000.

Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had suspended the licences of four doctors - three senior medical students and a department head accused of abetting the incident.

Payal had started her MD in the Topiwala National Medical College, which is associated with the BYL Nair Hospital, in 2018. The three doctors who allegedly harassed her - Hema Ahuja, Bhakti Mehare and Ankita Khandelwal - were in the third year. Payal is from the Tadvi Bhil community and was married to a doctor, Salman. Her parents Abeda and Salim Tadvi live in Jalgaon, 400km from Mumbai.

The three women doctors claimed that they had written to the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) requesting "a fair investigation to give justice", without falling to prey to media or police pressure.