Mumbai: Dr Payal Tadvi's suicide note forms crux of charge sheet

Dr Payal Tadvi committed suicide on May 22

The Crime Branch will soon file a 1,800-page charge sheet in the death of Dr Payal Tadvi and the biggest weapon in their arsenal is her three-page suicide note, said a senior officer. The note, the physical copy of which has not been found, was retrieved from Dr Tadvi's phone and details the harassment by the three seniors - Dr Hema Ahuja, Dr Bhakti Mehare and Dr Ankita Khandelwal.

Dr Tadvi committed suicide on May 22 and the trio of seniors - who have been named in the note - were arrested by the Agripada police station on May 28 for allegedly abetting her suicide by torturing her over her caste. All the three accused are in judicial custody.

The trio supposedly did not cooperate with the crime branch during the investigation, making it difficult for the cops to establish if the suicide note has been destroyed and if yes, by whom. They were also unable to get the details of the 120-second conversation Ahuja and Dr Tadvi had on the evening of May 22, before the latter committed suicide.

Also Read: Her voice still buzzes in my head says Dr. Payal Tadvi's husband

The last few paragraphs of the note have been dedicated to her family. Dr Tadvi has apologised to her parents and her husband for taking the drastic step

Strongest pillar

After investigating the case for a month and a half, the crime branch is going to file the chargesheet, which has been compiled in three volumes and contains testimonies of 170-odd people. According to the senior crime branch officer, the three-page handwritten suicide note, pictures of which were found on Dr Tadvi's phone on July 4, is the strongest asset of the chargesheet. Cops have not been able to establish where the physical copy of the note has gone and what made the three accused reach Dr Tadvi's room just after her suicide.

The officer said that the note describes two major instances because of which Dr Tadvi took the extreme step. The first incident occurred on May 21, when she was allegedly trolled by the trio for posting a photo with her juniors on social media after going out for dinner with them. They'd supposedly told her that she has time for taking photos but not for doing work.

The second incident, which Dr Tadvi has written a detailed account of, occurred in the operation theatre on May 22 - the day she committed suicide. Dr Tadvi has written that she was insulted and verbally abused by the trio, due to which she had to return to the hostel in the middle of her work day.

Also Read: We knew Dr Payal Tadvi would not kill herself without naming culprits, say kin

One for Mehare

Out of the three pages, one page has been dedicated to Mehare. Dr Tadvi has said Mehare led the torture against her, as she was her roommate for a few months. She has also written that Ahuja, who came from a district next to hers, knew about her caste and marital status and used all of that information against her. The last few paragraphs of the note have been dedicated to her family. Dr Tadvi has apologised to her parents and her husband for taking such the drastic step.

Also Read: Mumbai doctor's suicide: Crime branch finds photo of Payal Tadvi's suicide note in phone

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates