Mumbai: Hundreds of people took to streets in the Chembur area of Mumbai to protest against the inaction of police in tracing a 17-year-old minor girl who went missing in April this year.
Several policemen deployed for maintaining law and order during the protest were attacked by the mob that also vandalised police vans.
The protesters had earlier participated in the funeral of 42-year-old Pancharam Rithadia, father of the missing girl, who ended his life by jumping before a running train at Tilak Nagar railway station on October 13.
He left behind a suicide note in which he said officers at Nehru Nagar Police Station did not help him trace his daughter and raised allegations of harassment against five persons.
Rithadia’s relatives had refused to claim his mortal remains from the morgue at Sion hospital for a week as mark of protest. However, the body was claimed and last rites were to be performed on Tuesday, during which the people who participated in the funeral targeted the policemen deployed on the route.
A police officer said, “The mortal remains of Rithadia were being taken from Thakkar Bappa Colony, in Chembur, for last rites. After the grieving family members reached Umarshi Bappa Chowk, a group of people tried to block the road. When cops tried to stop them from doing so, they were attacked. We resorted to mild lathi charge to disperse the mob. We are investigating the matter.”
A case of abduction was registered at the Nehru Nagar Police Station based on a missing complaint received from Rithadia on April 25.
Based on the suicide note found from Rithadia’s pocket, the Government Railway Police also registered a case of abetment of suicide against the five people whom the former had accused of abducting his daughter.
Thousands of residents at the Thakkar Bappa Colony in Chembur had boycotted the assembly elections held on Monday as mark of protest against the delay in finding the minor girl.
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