caste ragging

Payal Tadvi Suicide Case: Protests Outside Mumbai Hospital as Accused Doctors Return to College

The development comes after a Supreme Court order allowed the doctors to resume their studies.

New Delhi: The three doctors, who had allegedly mentally tortured and discriminated against medical doctor Payal Tadvi, returned to their college BYL Nair Hospital on Monday, escorted by police vehicles, as Tadvi’s mother and several organisations protested against their return outside the institute.

The development comes a Supreme Court order on October 8 allowed the doctors – Hema Ahuja, Bhakti Mehare and Ankita Khandelwal – to resume their studies which had come to a halt after Payal ended her life on May 22.

Maintaining that the accused were “presumably innocent persons”, the court held that they were “entitled to pursue their course of study so long as exercise of said right does not hamper smooth conduct and progress of the prosecution.”

Several organisations, including Democratic Youth Federation of India, Jati Ant Sangarsh Samiti, Forum Against Oppression of Women and Akhil Bharatiya Janwadi Mahila Sanghatana protested outside the hospital on Monday.

Protest outside BYL Nair Hospital. Photo: Special arrangement

Payal’s mother, Abeda Tadvi, has written to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and the dean of BYL Nair Hospital, questioning the inaction against the three accused as per recommendations of the anti-ragging committee of the college where they all pursued their post-graduation degrees.

Urging the state to file a review petition against the Supreme Court’s order, she said that by allowing the accused to return to college, the family was being subjected to grave injustice.

Tadvi also said that close to 250 witnesses – who had been cited in the case – and other alleged victims of caste-based torture were still at the college and hospital. Tadvi has maintained that the accused are influential and can possibly threaten or coerce the witnesses in the case.

Also read: ‘Caste System Snatched Her Away,’ Say Payal Tadvi’s Parents a Year After Her Death

After Tadvi was found dead in her hostel room, an inquiry conducted by the college ragging prevention committee found that she was harassed by her three seniors “in the form of ragging” and had recommended that the three be suspended immediately.

“For over a year, after the committee recommended that the three be suspended, the institute did not take any action. If they were found guilty of ragging, the institute could have taken necessary steps, but it was not done,” Abeda wrote.

Speaking to Times of India, Dean Dr Ramesh Bharmal said that the three doctors had joined college to resume their third year of postgraduate education. “They will be posted in Covid work like every other resident doctor,” he said.

The dean also said that students and the gynaecology department unit head had been sensitised about the case. “We discussed with the department head on how to bring them back on duty,” Bharmal told the Indian Express.

“It’s a Supreme Court order. What more can one say?” a doctor told TOI.

Dr J. G. Lalmalani, former Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors president told the Express that the three accused should have been allowed to pursue an education in another college.

The three doctors have been booked by the Mumbai police under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities).

Dr Payal Tadvi, who belonged to the Tadvi Bhil tribal community, had moved to Mumbai to pursue a post-graduation in gynaecology. She ended her life on May 22 after the three caste Hindu seniors allegedly mentally harassed and humiliated her

If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. The Suicide Prevention India Foundation maintains a list of telephone numbers they can call to speak in confidence. Icall, a counselling service run by TISS, has maintained a crowdsourced list of therapists across the country. You could also take them to the nearest hospital.

Family of Jabalpur Medico Who Ended His Life Alleges Ragging, Caste Discrimination

The police have claimed that the preliminary inquiry has “ruled out” possibilities of caste discrimination and have not registered an FIR yet.

Mumbai: A 28-year-old post-graduate medico, Bhagwat Devangan, was found hanging from the ceiling of his hostel room at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose medical college in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh on October 1.

Devangan was allegedly tortured—both mentally and physically— by his seniors for being a “quota student”, a common phrase used demeaningly by the upper castes against students availing reservation policies. Devangan, who belonged to the Other Backward Class (OBC) category was from Rahoud village in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa district and had enrolled himself in the medical school only a few months ago in the first year PG Orthopaedic course but under the “general category”, without availing reservation.

It has been 10 days since Devangan ended his life. The police, however, have only conducted a “preliminary inquiry” in the case and no FIR has been registered so far. The Station House Officer (SHO) of the Garhi police station, Jabalpur, Rakesh Tiwari has claimed that the preliminary inquiry has “ruled out” possibilities of caste discrimination.

“Not just me, several senior officials have been looking into the matter. We have not found any caste angle. But we are looking into the allegation of ragging and have recorded several statements including that of the accused persons, faculty members, and non- teaching staff. We will soon come to a conclusion,” Tiwari said. Tiwari also claimed that since Devangan has not left behind any suicide note, the police were trying to ascertain the cause of his death before registering an FIR.

A memorial service for Dr Bhagwat Devangan. Photo: Special arrangement

Devangan’s brother and friends, however, said that he had on several occasions complained of maltreatment by his seniors because he “belonged to a poor, and lower caste community”. Devangan’s brother, Prahlad, in his two- page complaint, has named five persons. Of them, the police have claimed that one person belongs to the Brahmin caste, another is a Muslim and three others are from “pichda samaj (backward castes)”.

The SHO further added that at least two of them could be from the Scheduled Caste (SC) community but added that he “could not say this for sure”. When this reporter probed further, Tiwari added, “Since you are so interested in making this about caste, why don’t you find it out yourself.”

Also read: ‘Caste System Snatched Her Away,’ Say Payal Tadvi’s Parents a Year After Her Death

This ambiguity about the accused doctors’ castes even ten days after the incident speaks volumes about the police’s seriousness in handling the case. Also, it is important to note that since Devangan belongs to an OBC community, the provisions of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act can anyway not be invoked in the case.

On October 1, Devangan’s brother Prahlad said he had called Devangan on his phone in the morning. “Bhagwat sounded stressed. I had tried to calm him down and asked him to be brave. Around the afternoon when my father tried to call him, he did not respond. We got worried,” Prahlad told The Wire. Prahlad said he then immediately called Devangan’s friend Sumit, whom Devangan had known since his undergrad days, and who lived just outside Jabalpur to check on his brother.

Sumit then made a few calls and asked Devangan’s friends and a senior student to check on him. “I did not know which hostel room was allotted to Bhagwat. So, I made a few calls and asked friends to find his hostel room and check if he was fine. When he did not open the door, they broke open the door. Bhagwat was found hanging to the ceiling fan,” Sumit said.

Sumit reached the college soon after. A few hours later, the college administration called Prahlad and told him that his brother was critical. “Only upon reaching his hostel, we were told about his death. His body had already been brought down and was kept in the mortuary,” Prahlad said.

Devangan’s body was shown to the family a day later at the mortuary. There were ligature marks on his neck. Soon after Devangan’s death, Prahlad filed a complaint, both with the college anti-ragging committee and the police.

Both Prahlad and Sumit added that in the past few months, Devangan had only talked about the abuses hurled at him, the humiliation he was subjected to by seniors and the hostility he faced on campus. While several seniors ill-treated him, Sumit said a few even tried to help him. “He would share stories of some seniors trying to intervene and help him as and when he could.”

Dr Bhagwat Devangan with his father and nephew. Photo: Special arrangement

Like the police, the Anti Ragging Committee constituted by the college authorities was prompt in denying any incident of ragging. Doctor Arvind Sharma, who is a member of the committee, denied Devangan’s family’s claim about ragging and caste discrimination. “There has not been any ragging,” Sharma told The Wire. Sharma’s claim is particularly peculiar here since the committee has not concluded its findings.

Also read: When Will India’s Educational Institutes Have Their ‘Dalit Lives Matter’ Moment?

Prahlad said this was not the first complaint made to the committee. “A few weeks before Bhagwat killed himself, he had lodged an anonymous complaint with the college authorities. The complaint was registered online. But the college did not take any action,” he alleged. Upon questioning, Arvind Sharma said a complaint had been received a few months ago but it could not be ascertained if it was from Devangan. “The committee had met after a complaint was received. But since we did not find any evidence, the case could not be taken forward,” Sharma claimed.

According to section 6 (4) (1) of the Medical Council of India (Prevention and Prohibition of Ragging in Medical Colleges/ Institutions) Regulations, a committee should be constituted and along with college authorities, members of civil society, police administration, NGOs and local media should also be included. According to Sharma, the committee comprises of representatives as prescribed in the Regulation but curiously SHO Tiwari, who is investigating the case, is also a part of the committee.

Devangan had attempted suicide once before

On July 24, Sumit said that Devangan had called him to inform him that he was at the airport and wanted to run away from the institute. “He sounded depressed. I have known Bhagwat for many years and I have known him as a jovial person always. I knew he needed me and I told him to just wait where he was and went straight to meet him,” Sumit said.

Dr Bhagwat Devangan. Photo: Special arrangement

When Sumit met him, he said Devangan looked exceptionally drowsy. “He looked as if he had not slept in ages. I got him home and let him rest. He slept for a very long time. When he woke up in the evening, he shared that he had eaten several sleeping pills and wanted to end his life.”

Sumit then rushed him to the medical facility in the college and Devangan was hospitalised in the Intensive Care Unit. The college, however, did not register a complaint. “Only psychiatric treatment was recommended,” Sumit said.

SHO Tiwari too admitted that the college failed to inform the police about the incident. “No information was provided to us even when the student was treated at the same college’s hospital,” Tiwari said. The police, he claimed, is looking into the allegation that the college failed to take appropriate action even when the student had clearly shown intent of self- harm.

Sumit and Devangan were close friends and had studied MBBS together at B.J. Medical College in Pune. Upon completing MBBS, Sumit said Devangan had secured admission at the Grant Medical college in Mumbai. “But because the Maharashtra state decided to suddenly introduce reservation for the Marathas, his admission was abruptly cancelled. He then decided to pursue his studies at Jabalpur,” Sumit added. Sumit himself is preparing for a PG course now after the completion of his MBBS.

Also read: India’s Universities Are Falling Terribly Short on Addressing Caste Discrimination

Devangan’s family has denied allegations about his depression and loneliness. “My brother was used to staying by himself since he was in class six. He was self-reliant and took good care of himself. Only after coming to Jabalpur, he suddenly faced a lot of humiliation and discrimination,” Prahlad said.

The family has also alleged that in addition to mentally torturing Devangan, the accused persons had also slapped him in public on several occasions. “After the July incident (where Devangan had consumed sleeping pills), we got him home for a few weeks. We hoped he would get better soon. We knew things were bad in college but hoped it would eventually get better. We did not think we will lose our child,” Prahlad said, further adding that since the incident, his parents have not been able to come to terms with the loss.

“Bhagwat was not just the first one from our community but was also the first from our entire village to have scaled such heights. Where did we know we would have to pay such a huge price for dreaming big,” Prahlad said.

If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. The Suicide Prevention India Foundation maintains a list of telephone numbers (www.spif.in/seek-help/) they can call to speak in confidence. You could also refer them to the nearest hospital.

Payal Tadvi Suicide Case: Supreme Court Allows Accused Doctors to Pursue Higher Education

In spite of opposition from the Maharashtra government and Payal’s mother, the court has disregarded the fact that the three accused will be studying in the same college where witnesses of the case are enrolled.

Mumbai: The three doctors – Hema Ahuja, Bhakti Mehare and Ankita Khandelwal – who allegedly tormented and discriminated against medical doctor Payal Tadvi, pushing her to end her life, will now return to the same BYL Nair Hospital in south Mumbai to complete their pending education. The Supreme Court on Thursday, October 8, allowed their application to pursue studies which had come to a halt after Payal ended her life on May 22.

This order was passed despite staunch opposition to it by the Maharashtra state government, the Mumbai police and also Payal’s mother Abeda Tadvi. All three had contended that allowing the accused back in the same college would jeopardise the trial and that a transfer to another college was not possible as per the rules.

The Supreme Court bench comprising Justices U.U. Lalit, Vineet Saran and Ajay Rastogi, on October 8, while allowing the accused persons’ application for permission to continue with the studies observed that they can return to the same college from October 12 but under “court-imposed restrictions”.

While passing an order in favour of the accused doctors, the apex court observed that, “If the law presumes an accused to be innocent till his guilt is proved, the appellants (accused persons) as presumably innocent persons, are entitled to all the fundamental rights including the right to liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution and are entitled to pursue their course of study so long as exercise of said right does not hamper smooth conduct and progress of the prosecution.” Since all three accused persons are from outside Mumbai, the court further observed that, “The appellants do not appear to be original residents of Mumbai and, as such, it cannot be said that they or their families have deep-rooted presence in Mumbai.”

Also read: Maharashtra Govt Opposes Accused Doctors’ Petition to Pursue Education

In August, last year, the Bombay high court had granted the three accused persons bail under several conditions including suspension of their licences issued by the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) till the conclusion of the trial. Soon after, the trio had filed an appeal before the court, seeking relaxation of the conditions, including revocation of their suspension. When the court refused to give them relief, they filed an appeal before the Supreme Court and sought the court’s intervention in letting them resume their studies.

Even when the Supreme Court was still hearing their appeal, the MMC had discreetly gone ahead with revoking the suspension of the medical licences of two (Mehare and Khandelwal) of the three accused doctors. Ahuja is not registered with the MMC but with the medical council of another state. She is in the process of getting registered with the MMC on the high court’s direction.

The MMC’s order, Abeda Tadvi shared, was passed just days before the lockdown. “I, as a complainant, ought to have been informed about such a big decision but the MMC kept me in the dark. I found out only when it was mentioned months later in the Supreme Court,” she told The Wire.

While the MMC order came as a major blow, Tadvi’s family, the state government and the Mumbai police continued to oppose the accused application in the Supreme Court.

Also read: ‘Caste System Snatched Her Away,’ Say Payal Tadvi’s Parents a Year After Her Death

The state government had opposed this application and had filed two separate affidavits – by the Mumbai police and the state’s Medical Education and Drugs department – on September 8, claiming that their demands “don’t deserve to be considered” and there is a “grave sense of hostility” against the accused persons in the college they had once studied.

They relied on the anti-ragging committee’s report which had found the three accused guilty of tormenting Payal and her close friend Dr. Snehal Shinde.

Dr Payal Tadvi. Photo: Facebook

The committee report had concluded:

“It is observed that Dr. Payal Tadvi was subjected to mental harassment by ill-treatment and also abused by three senior postgraduate students namely Dr. Hema Ahuja, Dr. Bhakti Meher, and Dr. Ankita Khandelwal. She was threatened that she will not be allotted clinical work for the next period (semester)…After reading the conversation on the WhatsApp group (The accused had formed a group with their juniors, including Tadvi, on it), we have come to know about the type of harassment against Dr. Payal Tadvi.”

The state government’s Medical Education and Drugs Department, while opposing the application, had said that the accused persons were free to pursue their further education on completion of the trial. The court, however, termed the department’s stand as “not correct” and observed, “Even a convict is allowed to have academic pursuits while undergoing sentence and develop his potential as a human being to the fullest. The State apparatus must facilitate such pursuits rather than hamper any attempts in that behalf. The Appellants, therefore, by any standard, are entitled to continue their courses of study subject to the caveat expressed earlier.”

Payal’s mother Abeda, who is also a complainant in the case, has maintained that the accused are influential and can possibly threaten or coerce the witnesses in the case. Senior advocate Indira Jaising who represented Abeda in the apex court had claimed that if the accused returns to the college it would have an adverse impact on the yet-to-be-commenced trial.

Also read: Payal Tadvi Case: Chargesheet Reveals Months of Humiliation, Discrimination

Prime witnesses in the case and also other alleged victims of caste-based torture are still pursuing their education in the same college. But the court is of a view that, “It will be difficult to imagine that three lady doctors who do not otherwise belong to Mumbai will be able to influence any such witnesses by their mere presence in the College and the Hospital.”

The accused persons’ lawyer, Siddharth Luthra, had argued before the Supreme Court that they were willing to study at other Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) colleges in case returning to the same college was not possible. They cited the COVID-19 pandemic and claimed that they would want to “serve the nation” at the time of medical crisis.

Disheartened after today’s order, Abeda Tadvi told The Wire, “The trial is yet to commence. The prime witnesses in the case are still studying at the same institute. While the right of the accused has been taken into account, the court completely disregarded our concerns.”

The police, in the chargesheet, have recorded over 250 witness statements. Many among them are junior students who had also allegedly been tortured by the accused three. These witnesses have made damning revelations against them. According to most witnesses, Payal, a 26-year-old postgraduate resident doctor, was subjected to sustained humiliation and torture by her three caste Hindu seniors and finally ended her life on May 22.

Also read: At Hospital Where Payal Tadvi Died, a New Case of ‘Ragging’

Payal, who belonged to the Tadvi Bhil (of the larger Bhil ethnic group) tribal community, was perhaps the first woman from her community to have studied medicine. After completing her undergraduate degree from a medical school in Jalgaon, she had moved to Mumbai to pursue a post-graduation in gynaecology. But at the hostel, the three accused doctors had allegedly treated her with cruelty and taunted her for having secured admission under reservation.

Tadvi had left a note where she described the torture she was subjected to and also named the three accused as persons responsible for her death. In the note she said that it had become unbearable for her to carry on amid increasing torture by the three.

The Mumbai police had subsequently booked the accused doctors under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act, abetment of suicide, destruction of evidence and common intent under the Indian Penal Code. They were arrested and later released on bail.

Payal Tadvi Suicide Case: Maharashtra Govt Opposes Accused Doctors’ Petition to Pursue Education

Tadvi’s family has maintained that allowing the three accused, held guilty by the anti-ragging committee, back in the college premises would expose the witnesses in the case to their direct influence.

Mumbai: The trial in medical doctor Payal Tadvi’s alleged death by suicide case is yet to begin. But the three accused doctors have expressed in the meantime that they wish to return to college to complete their post-graduation in gynaecology.

The Maharashtra state government has strongly opposed the accused persons’ special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court and has relied on the Anti-Ragging Committee’s report that had found them guilty of torturing and harassing Tadvi.

In two separate affidavits – filed by the Mumbai police and the state’s Medical Education and Drugs department – the state government has said that their demands “don’t deserve to be considered” and there is a “grave sense of hostility” against the accused persons in the college they had once studied.

The three accused – Hema Ahuja, Bhakti Mehare and Ankita Khandelwal – had moved the Supreme Court in March, soon after the Bombay high court refused to give them relief. The trio, Tadvi’s senior in the BYL Nair Hospital in south Mumbai, had moved the court claiming that they are doctors and hence “corona-warriors” and should be allowed to pursue their education along with “serving the nation”.

The accused had sought a transfer to another college in case studying in the same college was not possible. The case was scheduled for hearing today, September 8, but has been adjourned till September 14.

Also read: Payal Tadvi Case: Chargesheet Reveals Months of Humiliation, Discrimination

Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra representing the accused in the apex court had proposed that they be allowed to migrate to one of the three other colleges under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in case they can’t continue their education at BYL Nair Hospital. This submission was opposed both by the Medical Council of India (MCI) and Tadvi’s mother, Abeda Tadvi. While the MCI had stuck to its rule book and said students can’t be migrated from one college to another, Abeda Tadvi, represented through her (senior) advocate Indira Jaisingh had claimed that such an arrangement would have an adverse impact on the yet-to-be commenced trial.

Both Tadvi’s family and their lawyer have maintained that allowing the students back in the same premises would expose the witnesses in the case to their direct influence. The police have recorded over 250 witness statements in the case and most of these witnesses are junior students who had also been allegedly tortured by the accused person.

Payal, a 26-year-old postgraduate resident doctor, was subjected to sustained humiliation and torture by her three caste Hindu seniors and finally ended her life on May 22.

Tadvi, a doctor belonging to the Tadvi Bhil (of the larger Bhil ethnic group) tribal community, was perhaps the first woman from her community to have studied medicine. After completing her undergraduate degree from a medical school in Jalgaon, she had moved to Mumbai to pursue a post-graduation in gynaecology. But at the hostel, the three accused doctors had allegedly treated her badly and taunted her for having secured admission under reservation.

In an affidavit filed by Avinash Shingate, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Detection), Central, CID, Mumbai, it is stated that the police are bound by the Bombay high court’s order to complete the trial in ten months from the date of framing of charges. Shingate has also stated that although the police have collected over 250 witnesses, the prosecution would be focusing on approximately 60 important witnesses in the case.

The state’s Medical Education and Drugs department has also opposed the accused persons’ application citing similar reasons and has laid further stress on the ragging committee’s report that was submitted on May 25, just three days after Tadvi’s death.

Also read: Why Payal Tadvi and Rohith Vemula’s Mothers Have Taken Their Fight to the SC

“The anti-ragging committee of BYL Nair charitable hospital, Mumbai dated 25.05.2019 clearly points out that the petitioners have committed ragging on deceased Dr. Payal Tadvi. The said committee has recommended the suspension of petitioners from the college/ hospital until further orders. I say that, as the petitioners are already suspended from the BYL Nair charitable hospital, they cannot be accommodated to any other college/hospital under the subsistence of said suspension order.” Surendra Chankar, the deputy secretary of the Medical Education and Drugs Department, has stated in his affidavit filed on September 7.

“It is observed that Dr. Payal Tadvi was subjected to mental harassment by ill-treatment and also abused by three senior postgraduate students namely Dr. Hema Ahuja, Dr. Bhakti Meher, and Dr. Ankita Khandelwal. She was threatened that she will not be allotted clinical work for the next period (semester)… After reading the conversation on the WhatsApp group (The accused had formed a group with their juniors, including Tadvi, on it), we have come to know about the type of harassment against Dr. Payal Tadvi,” the committee report states.

The committee had also held Dr Yi Ching Ling, the head of the gynaecology and obstetrics department at the hospital, for not taking action against the accused despite being told by Tadvi’s husband Dr Salman Tadvi and mother Abeda Tadvi about the problem several times. Another faculty head Dr S.D. Shirodkar was also held responsible for not doing enough to help Tadvi.

The anti-ragging committee had relied on statements by 21 doctors and hospital staff of the BYL Nair hospital. Tadvi’s close friend and also a crucial witness in the case, Dr Snehal Shinde, had also deposed before the committee.

Shinde, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste community, too, had been allegedly tortured and discriminated by the accused persons. Both Tadvi and Shinde had endured the treatment until Tadvi finally decided to kill herself. Shinde is presently continuing with her studies in the same college.

Also read: Ambedkar to Payal Tadvi: Codes of Discrimination Change But Dalits’ Nightmares Continue

Advocate Disha Wadekar, representing the family in the case has pointed to existing case laws and rules that don’t allow abrupt migration of students, especially when have been found guilty of ragging a junior student. “The MCI’s Anti Ragging Regulations, 2009 have clear provisions regarding suspensions from attending classes and other academic privileges. The anti-ragging committee of the college had followed the due process and suspended them after finding them guilty of harassing (Payal) Tadvi, who was their junior and was directly reporting to them,” Wadekar told The Wire.

The government has also stressed on the fact that the accused persons already hold MBBS degrees and there is no restriction on them to practice medicine. “They can continue with their Post Graduate course at any time in the future after the conclusion of the trial. There is no pressing urgency to allow petitioners to permit migration/accommodation in any other college/hospital. HC has already expediated their trial and the trial court has been directed to complete it in 10 months from the date of framing of charges,” the government affidavit has stated.

The Maharashtra government had earlier remained a passive spectator in the special leave petition filed by the accused in the Supreme Court. However, following agitation from several anti-caste organisations, including Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, the state government has now ostensibly been compelled to act in the case.

At Hospital Where Payal Tadvi Died, a New Case of ‘Ragging’

A ‘Mumbai Mirror’ report notes that the hospital delayed in referring the case to the anti-ragging committee.

With Payal Tadvi’s suicide still fresh in collective memory, Mumbai Mirror has reported that a fresh case rife with charges of ragging and counter-ragging has risen out of the same hospital.

The report notes that while authorities at Mumbai’s BYL Nair Hospital are yet to determine ‘who is wrong’, there has been sufficient delay in the steps they should have taken when news first arrived of the alleged ragging.

A senior doctor, Reshma Bangar, reportedly locked herself up in her room on September 12 after having been accused of ragging by first-year post-graduate student doctor, Sadiya Shaikh Tadvi.

Also read: Why Payal Tadvi and Rohith Vemula’s Mothers Have Taken Their Fight to the SC

Reshma’s actions, reported the paper, sparked panic in the hospital, but she could eventually be convinced to come out. The head of the ENT department, to which both doctors belong, however, only referred to the hospital’s anti-ragging committee on September 17, a full five days later.

When Payal Tadvi’s mother Abeda had gone to collect her belongings from her quarters, late in September, The Wire‘s Sukanya Shantha had accompanied them and noted in her article the new presence of big posters across each floor, announcing that ragging is a punishable offence.

A senior doctor also told her that an anti-ragging committee met every month in the aftermath of Payal’s death. But Payal’s husband Salman had maintained that these changes were too little too late.

An aerial view of the BYL Nair Hospital. Photo: tnmcnair.com

In the latest case, Reshma reportedly complained to the anti-ragging committee that Sadiya had been “rude with her”.

Sadiya, on the other hand, has alleged that Reshma overburdened her and often harassed her.

It was when Sadiya told Reshma that she would be lodging a complaint with seniors about her “behaviour” that the latter locked herself up, reported Mirror.

The report also quoted hospital dean Ramesh Bharmal as noting that there have been an abundance of juniors-versus-seniors complaints in the aftermath of Payal’s death. Payal had named three of her seniors in her suicide note. All three were held but are out on bail now.

While Bharmal confirmed to the paper that it was indeed a fresh ragging case the hospital was looking into, he also said “it could even be a petty fight.”