Mumbai doctor suicide: 2 doctors arrested

Mumbai Police have arrested two of the three doctors for abetting the suicide of postgraduate medical student Payal Salman Tadvi, their junior colleague at a state-run hospital here, by harassing her over her social identity.

The three 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.

On Tuesday, police arrested Bhakti Mehar from the Session Court in Mumbai and nabbed Hema Ahuja from the Andheri railway station. According to the CrPC 46 (4), with permission from the Sewadi Court, Hema was arrested in the night, police said.

The third accused doctor is likely to be arrested today, police said, adding that the accused will be presented in the Session Court later in the day.

The accused will be presented in the Sessions Court later in the day.

The Agripada Police Station on Sunday had lodged cases against the three senior doctors including that of ragging, IT Act, Atrocities Act and abetment of suicide among others.

The three of them attached to the BLY Nair Hospital are accused of persistently harassing Payal Tadvi, their junior who belonged to the Scheduled Tribe community.

The accused doctors have meanwhile written to the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) to ensure a "fair probe" into the issue. They have denied charges of harassment and "ragging" levelled against them by Payal's family and have asked the doctor's body to give them a fair chance to clear the allegations against them.

Further, their letter to MARD on Monday asks: "Guys we have been working together. Do you really think we could do ragging and caste discrimination? We just want you all to understand our side and help us get justice against these allegations which are levelled."

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo moto cognisance of the matter and written to the hospital administration, requesting to appraise with the action taken in the case.

"The NCW is deeply disturbed...It is a matter of serious concern," NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma wrote in the letter addressed to hospital director Dr Avinas Supe.

On Monday, the Maharashtra State Commission for Women had issued a notice to Dean of the Hospital seeking a report on the action taken in the case.