3 lady doctors sent to custody in Payal's suicide case

The three lady doctors, arrested for allegedly passing casteist slurs and harassing Dr Payal Tadvi leading to her suicide, were on Tuesday sent to police custody for three days.

The lady doctors - Dr Bhakti Mehere, Dr Hema Ahuja and Dr Ankita Khandelwal - were arrested by the Agripada police.

Amidst tight security arrangements, they were produced before additional sessions judge R M Sadarani on Wednesday, who remanded them to police custody till May 31.

Appearing for the family of Dr Tadvi, advocate Nitin Satpute demanded a thorough probe and custodial interrogation in the case.

A day after her husband, Dr Salman Tadvi, called for a probe, Satpute said that the autopsy report suggested injuries and, hence, detailed investigation was needed.

Advocate Aabad Ponda, who represented the accused, said that the arrested doctors were not even aware of the caste of the victim.

IMA for justice

Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association, Maharashtra branch has expressed concern and shock over the incident. "Any doctor's death is an incident of grief and sorrow. It is an unrecoverable loss for the society at large. IMA condemns this incident and strongly demands a detailed inquiry to render justice to late Dr Tadvi," honorary state secretary Dr Suhas Pingle said.

Dr Tadvi (26), who was from the Adivasi Tadvi Bhil community, which is a Scheduled Tribe, hailed from Jalgaon.

She was found hanging on March 22.

Last year, she had obtained admission at the Topiwala National Medical College attached to BYL Nair Hospital.

She was facing casteist slurs from the three doctors and was frequently admonished.