2 who beat up Wadala teens for smoking held, dead boy’s father suspects foul play

NAVI MUMBAI: The father of a 17-year-old boy from Wadala, who was part of a suicide pact with his 16-year-old friend, claimed on Sunday that he suspected foul play in the death of his son. The boy’s father alleged that the friend who survived was well aware that his son could not swim.
This allegation came on a day two residents of BPT Colony, who had caught the boys smoking in the company of two girls known to them, were arrested.
The body of the teenage boy was cremated on Sunday. His father said on Sunday that he suspected foul play. “My son must have been coerced by his friend to jump into the creek. My son’s friend could swim and he was well aware that my son could not swim,” the father of the deceased boy said.
He bolstered his allegations by stating that his son’s friend had been constantly changing his statements each time he was questioned. “Once he claimed he was with my son only till 8 pm that day. But later he said that both of them had gone to Kurla and then to Panvel,” the father said.
A case of abetment of suicide has been registered against the two people from BPT colony, who have been arrested for allegedly playing moral police by beating up the two boys for smoking.
On the other hand, a relative of the boy who survived the suicide bid, refuted the allegations made by the father of the deceased teenager. “The two of them were fast friends. We refuse to believe that our boy could ever have imagined of harming his best friend. Eveer since he was rescued from the creek, he has been under severe mental trauma,” said the relative who spoke strictly on the condition of anonymity.
“It is not possible that our boy forced his friend to take a leap along with him. The two boys must have decided to do so fearing that they would be scolded their parents. It was the second time that they had been caught smoking. Besides, this time the matter had gone to the police,” said the relative, insisting that the survivor was no expert swimmer. “He managed to survive as he clung on to the pillar of the bridge.”
Senior inspector of Wadala police station Parshuram Karyakarte said, “We have arrested two 24-year-old men. While one had deposited the teenagers’ phones with the police, the other was among the four persons who beat up the boys.”