The investigation into the death of Dr Payal Tadvi was handed over to the Mumbai Police’s crime branch on Thursday, reported IANS. Tadvi, who belonged to the Bhil Adivasi community, committed suicide on May 22 after allegedly facing casteist abuse from the accused at the Topiwala National Medical College in Mumbai where she worked.

“Considering the seriousness and importance of the case related to Payal Tadvi’s death, the investigation has been transferred to Crime Branch,” Mumbai Police spokesperson Manjunath Shinge told IANS.

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The Tadvi family’s counsel Nitin Satpute said they had demanded that the case be taken over by the Crime Branch. “We discussed it with Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe who in turn raised it with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis,” he told the news agency.

A special court in Mumbai on Wednesday remanded three senior doctors, arrested in connection with Tadvi’s death, to police custody till May 31. The three doctors, Bhakti Mehere, Hema Ahuja and Ankita Khandelwal, were remanded in custody after the prosecution argued that they had to be interrogated to establish if they misplaced or destroyed a suicide note purportedly left by Tadvi.All three accused were arrested on Wednesday.

The three doctors have denied the harassment charges in a letter to the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors, demanding a “fair inquiry”. MARD suspended the three doctors based on the findings of preliminary investigations.

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The state health department’s anti-ragging committee has found prima facie evidence that Tadvi faced casteist abuse. A report was submitted to the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences on Tuesday.

Tadvi’s post-mortem report stated “evidence of ligature mark over the neck”, reported India Today. Counsel Satpute alleged that it was a murder and not suicide. “From the circumstances of her death and bruise mark on her body, we can say that it must be a case of murder and not of suicide,” he said.