Dr Payal Tadvi case: Testimonies put senior doctors' roles in spotlight

Dr Payal Tadvi

Nothing seems to fall in place in the Dr Payal Tadvi suicide case - from the date her unit head Dr Ching Ling was informed of the alleged harassment to the day Dr Ling told her superior Dr Sneha Shirodkar. Both doctors have recorded statements that not just contradict each other but also those given by other senior doctors.

Dr Ling also told the police in her third statement that she had informed her superior Dr Shirodkar about the complaint on May 15. Dr Shirodkar, however, said in her first statement that she had received a verbal complaint on May 17, while her second statement says she had no idea of any harassment until Payal's suicide.

Dr Ling's statement (June 2)

On May 13, Dr Ching Ling Chung Changgyn, then unit head of Gyanecology Department, received a complaint about the issues faced by Dr Tadvi for the first time. Payal's mother and her husband had met Dr Ling to complain.

Dr Ling's statement (July 15)

In December 2018, Dr Tadvi did not complain against Dr Hema Ahuja, Dr Bhakti Mehare and Dr Ankita Khandelwal. On May 13, her mother and husband met me at the Gynaecology OPD. Payal's husband told me that she was ill-treated by the three doctors. I asked him what sort of ill-treatment he was referring to but he didn't explain. But I didn't speak to Payal personally about this alleged 'ill-treatment'.

On May 14, at 11.30 am, I called Payal, Hema, Bhakti, Ankita, and other juniors in a room outside Gynaecology OPD. I asked if they were facing any problem in the way the unit is functioning. When no one said anything, I asked if we should talk separately but I didn't ask Payal specifically if she wanted to talk separately or in front of everyone. Dr Hema then began complaining about how Payal was not working properly and was committing several mistakes. She also gave instances. Later everyone said that they will cooperate with each other and in this regard, and I didn't inquire nor raised any complaint to my superiors. On May 15, I verbally informed my department head Dr Sneha Shirodkar about this meeting. But at that time, she was on leave and I never received any request from Payal or her family members to change her unit after that.

Dr Shirodkar (June 11)

I was on leave from May 5 to May 23. The charge was with Dr Balaji Jadhav up to May 12 and from May 13 onwards, my charge was with Dr Ching Ling. On May 17, there was too much work in the OPD and many operations were lined up so I went to the hospital. There Dr Ling met me and verbally told me Payal's family meeting her and the meeting she held with the four resident doctors. But as I was on leave that day so I didn't say anything.

Dr Shirodkar (June 21)

I don't know whether or not Payal complained about her seniors to Dr Ling. She didn't inform me about any such complaint. I got to know about these complaints only after Payal's suicide.

'Payal complained in Dec'

A 27-year-old third-year resident doctor told the crime branch in her statement that in the last week of November, "Payal left the hospital without saying anything one day." When called, "she didn't respond for two days." When she finally received their calls, she said she was in Nair hospital itself with her mother. "I called Payal and her mother to my room. At that time, another colleague of mine and I spoke to her. We asked her why she had left the hospital and whether she was facing any problem," the doctor said.

"She told us that Hema, Bhakti and Ankita insult her and yell at her in front of patients and that she couldn't tolerate it anymore. We told her to complain to the unit head and senior doctors about this. My colleague and I then met Dr Ling along with two more senior doctors. We told all three senior doctors about the trouble Payal was facing. Dr Ling said that she would speak to Payal once she was back. After a couple of days, I saw Payal meeting Dr Ling but I don't know what they spoke about," the doctor added.

Another 27-year-old third-year resident doctor echoed similar views in her statement too. "Her mother told us that Payal was contemplating quitting the course due to the harassment she faced. We assured her that we will inform Dr Ling about this and find a solution. Payal also said that people looked at her in a weird manner when the three doctors shouted at her in front of everyone."

Also read: Accused doctors in Payal Tadvi's case never behaved normally with their juniors, say doctors

"In the first week of December 2018, one of the resident doctors told me that Payal was upset and not attending hospital for two days. When Payal came back, she met Dr Ling in my presence and complained about Hema, Bhakti and Ankita. Dr Ling called Hema and asked her to not to trouble Payal," a senior lecturer told crime branch in her statement.

Dr Ling and Dr Shirodkar did not respond despite repeated calls and messages.

A senior crime branch officer told mid-day that supplementary statements are recorded under specific circumstances. "For instance, if we record the statement of witness A at a specific point but while recording the statement of witness B we notice something contradictory or new, then we call witness A again and record his/her supplementary statement based on the newly emerged points," he explained.

Also read: Mumbai doctor's suicide: The last call before Dr Payal Tadvi killed herself

Dec 2018
Month Payal's seniors claim she had complained

May 2019
Month Dr Ling claims she received complaint

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