Dr Payal Tadvi's suicide note recovered from her phone: Lawyer

MUMBAI: A suicide note left behind by Payal Tadvi, a doctor who ended her life after alleged harassment by her senior colleagues, has been recovered by the forensic department, advocate Gunaratna Sadavarte, said on Friday.

Gunaratna Sadavarte is fighting Payal Tadvi's case in the Bombay Civil and Sessions Court.

Speaking to ANI, Sadavarte said: "Today, it has been proved that three accused doctors in the case were aware of the suicide note and tried to destroy it. The forensic department has confirmed that screenshot of the note has been recovered from Payal's phone."

The counsel said that the suicide note not only mentions the casteist abuses, but also the names the three accused senior women doctors, who have been arrested in the case.

"Police have initiated probe under section 201 (destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," said Sadavarte.

Tadvi, who belonged to the Scheduled Tribe community, ended her life in her hostel room at BYL Nair Hospital here on May 22, allegedly after facing harassment from her seniors due to her caste.

The post-mortem examination report of Tadavi's death revealed the evidence of a ligature mark on her neck.

Her family alleged that three of her seniors ragged and hurled casteist abuses at her, forcing her to take the extreme step.

The trio, Hema Ahuja, Ankita Khandelwal and Bhakti Mehre were booked under the charges of abetment of suicide and various provisions of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act in connection with this.