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The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of media reports highlighting the increasing number of missing persons and the poor rate of tracing them across several states in the country.
The Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police of Bihar, Odisha, Telangana, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, seeking a detailed report on the issue within two weeks. According to reports, between 12,000 and 14,000 missing person cases have been registered every year in Bihar since 2013, many of them involving children. However, only about two-thirds of the missing children have been traced, raising concerns about their safety and possible exploitation. The NHRC also took note of data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) suggesting that the highest number of human trafficking cases have been registered in Odisha, Bihar, Telangana and Maharashtra. Odisha reportedly tops the list in cases involving the trafficking of minor boys, followed by Bihar, while Rajasthan records the highest number of cases involving the trafficking of minor girls. Citing a media report published on March 9, the Commission noted concerns that many of the missing children are suspected to be forced into begging, child labour, prostitution and other illegal activities. Observing that the contents of the report, if true, raise serious issues of human rights violations, the Commission said that despite measures taken by state authorities, the number of missing persons appears to be rising while only a limited number are traced. The NHRC has therefore asked the concerned states to submit a detailed report within two weeks, outlining the steps taken or proposed to address the growing number of missing persons, particularly children. Additionally, the Commission has sought the latest statistical data from the NCRB on the status of missing persons in these five states, also to be furnished within the same time frame. (ANI)
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