Didn't know caste of Mumbai doctor who ended life, say accused

Three female doctors of a South Mumbai hospital booked for allegedly abetting suicide by a junior colleague by tormenting her with casteist slurs Tuesday moved a session court here for anticipatory bail, claiming innocence.

The three doctors, Hema Ahuja, 28, Bhakti Mehere, 26, and Ankita Khandelwal, 27, said in their bail plea they were not even aware of the victim's caste and had only professional interaction with her.

Hours after they moved the court, one of them, Mehra, however, was arrested after initial interrogation by the police.

The trio, attached to Nair Hospital at Agripada in South Mumbai, has been booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Anti-Ragging Act and the IT Act and section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the IPC.

In their bail application, which is likely to come up for hearing Wednesday, the doctors claimed they had not caused any harm to the victim, Dr Payal Tadvi, 26, who allegedly hanged herself on May 22.

Her family has alleged that the three ...