Payal Tadvi suicide case: Akhilesh Yadav calls death of tribal medical student a 'murder' of constitutional protection to Scheduled Tribes

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday termed the death of Dr Payal Salman Tadvi, a medical student in Mumbai, "a murder of the constitutional protection given to the Scheduled Tribes", the community she hailed from.

"The suicide of the brilliant Dr Payal Tadvi belonging to the scheduled tribal community is a result of comments against her caste and the reservation system. This is a case of murder. It is a murder of the protection given by the Constitution. Is this the direction the country is heading towards?" Yadav wrote on Twitter. 

READ| Justice For Dr Payal Tadvi: Family Alleges Slow Investigation Of Suicide Over Alleged Casteist Slurs By Three Seniors At Nair Hospital, Claims Murder Angle

Tadvi, a 23-year-old postgraduate student at Nair Hospital in Mumbai, had on May 22 committed suicide after allegedly facing harassment at the hands of three senior doctors.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra State Commission for Women has issued a notice to Dean of the BYL Nair Hospital seeking a report on the action taken in the case. 

Her mother Abeda Tadvi had alleged that three senior doctors - Hema Ahuja, Bhakti Mehar, and Ankita Khandilwal - persistently tortured her daughter which resulted in her taking the extreme step. 

"Whenever she used to speak to me on phone, she would say 'these (three senior doctors) people torture me as I belong to a tribal community, use casteist slurs. We want justice for her," Abeda had told ANI.

After her allegations, the BYL Nair Hospital administration formed an anti-ragging committee to probe into the suicide.

Serious allegations have been leveled by the family of evidence tampering and deliberate slow investigation by the police of Dr Payal Tadvi who allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself at the hostel of the BYL Nair hospital after being allegedly harassed by three senior medical students on the pretext of her social identity. 

WATCH: Protests Outside Mumbai's Nair Hospital Demanding Justice For Doctor Who Committed Suicide Over Alleged Casteist Slurs By Three Seniors; Accused Defend Themselves

Speaking exclusively to Republic TV, the father of the deceased speculated a case of murder instead of a suicide for mounting pressure over her caste. 

He said, "No actions have been taken by the Police ever since we filed a complaint. In return they ask me if I know about those three girls. How would I know? I last spoke to her last on May 17. I did not meet her as much, once or twice a month. I had told her on May 17 that I am coming and we will take a final decision. Even then I didn't know my daughter would do something like that. I think this is a murder. There should be an investigation." 

Payal's husband, Dr. Salman Tadvi reiterating the speculation of an alleged murder, complained of inaction and added that the medical student was harassed over her social background and that she was subjected to mental pressure. 

He said, "From the beginning she’s been harassed over caste. She’s been assaulted. From the beginning, she was going through mental pressure.  We have complaint to hospital administration but no action has been taken. We want govt to intervene, police is not taking any action. It is possible Payal was murdered by the 3 women doctors."

(With ANI inputs)