Family refuses to claim body of kin who commited suicide as protest

Family of man who committed suicide refuses to claim his body as mark of protest against police inaction over their daughter's missing report

More than four days after 42-year-old Pancharam Rithadia committed suicide, his relatives have refused to claim his body from the morgue at Sion Hospital as a mark of protest against the delay in finding his 17-year-old daughter Aarti who went missing seven months ago. The family members claimed that despite registering a case of kidnapping, Nehru Nagar police have not made any arrests or found Aarti yet.

Rithadia, a Chembur resident, committed suicide at around 8 pm on October 13 by jumping in front of a running train at Wadala railway station. His nephew, Rajendra Rithadia said, "Even though a missing case was filed, the police took the culprit in custody and let him go. My uncle has named the five culprits in his suicide note and the Wadala police have now filed a case against them. We have no option but to not claim the body until something is done about this."

The family's agitation is becoming a problem for Sion Hospital. Dr Rajesh Dere, head of the department of Forensic Medicine said, "If the family doesn't claim the body within the next couple of days, we will exceed the limit at the morgue," he said.

How Aarti went missing

Tarachand Tungaria, a relative of the Rithadia family said that back in April, Aarti had gone to a community toilet and never returned home. "She had last spoken a person named Bhagchand Fulwaria before she disappeared," he said, adding that Fulwaria was working with four other people who would often threaten Aarti's father.

"My husband was really upset after Aarti was kidnapped and would sometimes say that now that she is gone, he would die too. We need justice for him and my daughter," said Pancharam's wife Manju.

'Tried our best'

A complaint has been submitted to DCP (Zone VI) Shashikumar Meena on Thursday by the victims' relatives. "We have tried our best. But there hasn't been much of a headway in the case yet," Meena told mid-day.

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