Nair Hospital forms anti-ragging panel to probe suicide by Dr Payal Tadvi

The administration of BYL Nair Hospital has formed an anti-ragging committee to probe into the suicide by Dr Payal Salman Tadvi, while Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has suspended three accused doctors -- Dr Hema Ahuja, Dr Bhakti Mehar, and Dr Ankita Khandilwal.

Talking to ANI, BYL Nair Hospital dean Dr Ramesh Bharmal said: "We have formed an anti-ragging committee to look into the matter. We have also sent a notice to three senior doctors asking them to appear before us. They are currently not in Mumbai. The committee will file its report as soon as possible."

"Based on the report, we will initiate appropriate action against them. As of now, the MARD has suspended the three doctors," Dr Bharmal said, while denying the claims of the victim's mother Abeda Tadvi that she had complained to the hospital administration against three doctors but no action was taken.

"Dr Payal's mother claims that she had complained to the hospital about the alleged torture being meted out to her daughter are not true. We have received no complaint till date regarding this issue," he said.

Abeda, the mother of Dr Payal, who committed suicide on May 22, told ANI: "Whenever she used to speak to me on phone, she would say that these three (senior doctors) people torture me as I belong to a tribal community, use casteist slurs.' We want justice for her."

"We have registered a case under SC/ST Atrocities Act, Anti-ragging Act, and IT Act, and Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Further probe is currently underway," said Deepak Kundal, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Agripada, said on Wednesday.