1 arrested in Muslim doctor's suicide case
Mumbai, May 28: One of the doctors accused of abetting the suicide of a junior female colleague by tormenting her with casteist slurs was arrested here on Tuesday, police said.
The Agripada police arrested Bhakti Mehere after initial interrogation, an officer said.
Mehere and two other doctors, Ankita Khandelwal and Hema Ahuja, were booked after the woman, Payal Tadvi committed suicide, the police said.
All three moved an anticipatory bail application before the sessions court here on Tuesday and it is likely to come up for hearing on Wednesday.
The trio has been booked under relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Anti-Ragging Act, the IT Act and Section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.
Tadvi hanged herself last Wednesday, following which the 26-year-old's family alleged that the senior doctors tortured her by ragging and hurling casteist abuses as she belonged to a Scheduled Tribe.
Tadvi's parents protested at the state-run hospital in Mumbai where she worked. Other protesters also joined Tadvi's mother Abedam and husband Salman, demanding stringent action against the three seniors.
The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, and other Dalit and tribal organisations held protests outside the B Y L Nair Hospital.
Abeda asked whether the government would take responsibility for the safety of students like her daughter, who are pursuing higher education.
"Payal used to tell me about the torture which she was facing by her seniors on petty issues. They threw files on her face in front of patients," she said.
"Payal used to tell me not to give a written complaint against her seniors despite being harassed by them. She would say that doing so would adversely impact their career," Abeda said.
She said Tadvi would have been the first woman MD (doctor of medicine) from their community.
Salman, a doctor, said it was possible that Tadav was "murdered" by the three women doctors.
Expressing solidarity with the protesters and with Tadvis family, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad said he would visit Maharashtra if needed to "fight for justice for our younger sister".
The state women's commission has also taken cognisance of the matter and issued a notice to the hospital authorities.
On Tuesday, it wrote a letter to the Mumbai police commissioner, seeking a thorough investigation in the case.
The panel, which termed the case "very serious", has sought a report from the police within eight days, an official said.
It said there was a need to take stringent action against the accused under sections of abetment to suicide, the SC/ST Act and Anti-Ragging Act, the official said.
In a related development, the anti-ragging committee of Nair Hospital submitted its report in Tadvi's suicide case to the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences.
"We have submitted our sealed report to the MUHS," said Ramesh Bharmal, Dean, Nair Hospital, who did not reveal any details of the report, saying it was confidential.
"We are cooperating with the police in their investigation and providing whatever help they want," Bharmal told PTI.
In the morning, Minister for Medical Education Girish Mahajan visited the hospital and also met the protesters and parents of the victim, the official said.
The Mumbai Congress demanded that all the three doctors booked in the case be tried in a fast-track court.
A delegation led by of Mumbai Congress president Milind Deora met Joint CP (Law and Order) Vinay kumar Chaube and made the demand.
In a statement, the Mumbai Congress said Tadvi's suicide was unfortunate and a serious issue.
"The Tadvi family should get justice. The three doctors should be punished severely. A message should go out in Mumbai and Maharashtra that there is no place for casteism in educational institutions," it said.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said those accused of abetting Tadvi's suicide should be booked under IPC section 302 (murder).
She demanded that Mahajan take a review of all anti- ragging committees in education institutions in the state.
Gorhe said the issue would be raised in the state legislature session starting from June 17.
The three accused had on Monday sought a "fair probe" in the case.
In a letter to the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), the accused said they wanted the college to conduct a fair investigation into the matter and "give justice" to them.
"This is not the way to do an investigation through police force and media pressure, without hearing our side," the three doctors said in the letter.
The MARD has suspended the three doctors.
"We have credible inputs that the three doctors made casteist remarks against Dr Payal Tadvi, who allegedly committed suicide. We will cooperate with the police for the further investigation," a senior MARD official said.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
