Relatives of those arrested for violence say police got the wrong men

A day after police arrested 33 people from Thakkar Bappa Colony for allegedly turning violent during the funeral of Pancharam Rithadia who killed himself saying the police failed to find his missing teenaged daughter locals claimed the arrests were made just because protesters were found without footwearRelatives of those arrested said the police have jumped to conclusions since some videos showed protesters hurling sandals on cops They said it is a ritual in their community to forgo footwear for 13 days following someones deathRithadias daughter went missing six months ago He committed suicide last week The family says the police failed to trace their daughter The police on the other hand said she had eloped and that they had traced her boyfriends family and Rithadias family did not want to pursue the case after thatSlippers lying on the ground amid the debris following the clashOn Tuesday afternoon hundreds of people joined Rithadias funeral procession to the civic crematorium in Chembur Soon some protesters started pelting stones at police vehicles The police resorted to lathicharge when some personnel got isolated among the protesters Seven policemen were roughed upThe police detained around 100 people on Tuesday night eventually arresting 33 including Rithadias teenaged nephew Prithviraj a minor Another nephew Durgesh said Prithviraj left the crematorium earlier than everyone elseHe told me that he had to study said Durgesh We last spoke to him at 6 pm and he told us he was on his way home with friends While we were at the crematorium the protest turned violent outside and the police arrested him We didnt realise he had been arrested until late in the night They arrested him simply because he wasnt wearing slippers But as part of our customs we dont use any footwear for 13 days after a relative passes awayRithadias family also blamed outsiders for the troubleThe police havent caught the actual culprits but simply arrested people who they spotted in photos and videos of the procession Even on Wednesday the police visited our colony to pick up those they thought resembled faces in the photos said Tarachand Tungaria a neighbourRajendra Rithadia another relative said instead of focusing on arresting those who kidnapped Pancharams daughter the police are arresting their family membersHow can the police be investigating the case when they are the reason Aarti hasnt been found yet They should either transfer the case to another police station or have the CBI investigate he saidThe police have charged those arrested with the nonbailable attempt to murder among other sections of the IPC Chandrakant Bhosle Senior PI Chembur police said no minors were arrestedThe investigation is on I am not aware of any of Rithadias relatives being arrested We produced the 33 in court and they have been remanded in police custody till October 26 he saidLocal Shiv Sena MLA Mangesh Kudalkar said he has requested the police to drop charges against the protesters Its a sensitive issue and people behaved in an emotional manner Ill arrange for legal help for those in police custody he saidCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates