Doctor Payal Tadvi, who was found dead in her hostel room at BYL Nair Hospital, Mumbai, on May 22 this year, left a suicide note before taking her life. The physical suicide note has not yet been discovered but images of the note were found in Payal’s mobile phone by the forensic team at Kalini Forensic Science Laboratory, Advocate Gunaratna Sadavarte who is fighting Payal Tadvi’s case in Bombay Civil and Sessions Court said so on July 5.
Accused May Have Tried To Destroy Suicide Note: Police
The deceased was allegedly mentally harassed by a couple of senior colleagues who bullied and abused her for being a member of a lower caste. They used to allegedly pass casteist comments on her and Payal was isolated at her workplace because of such a treatment.
Police believe that the accused tried to destroy the original copy of the suicide note minutes after the death of the victim as a CCTV footage indicates that the trio entered into Payal’s hostel room for a couple of minutes after she had ended her life. The forensics department disclosed that the last call Payal took was from one of the main accused Hema Ahuja that went on for only 121 seconds, as reported by Mumbai Mirror.
Ahuja claims that she called Payal to ask about some medicines that she had prescribed to a patient.
“Police have initiated probe under section 201 (destruction of evidence) under Indian Penal Code”, Sadavarte told ANI.
The note not only explains what had happened with her in the past year but also mentions the name of the three main accused senior doctors – Hema Ahuja, Ankita Khandelwal and Bhakti Meher. The accused are currently under judicial custody for ragging, mentally harassing, discriminating against a lower caste member and abetting for suicide, charged under the Indian Penal Code, Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The bail plea for the trio was rejected by Mumbai High court and next hearing regarding the same is scheduled on July 16, 2019.
Also Read: Payal Tadvi Death: Lawyer Alleges Murder After Autopsy Shows Injury On Neck, Chat Reveals Bullying