All 26 girls 'missing' from Bhopal shelter home located, 2 officials suspended

All 26 girls who were reported to have gone missing from an illegally-run children's home in Bhopal have been located by the police. Further, action was also taken against officers concerned with the matter over their alleged negligence.

Madhya Pradesh Police on Saturday located all 26 girls who were reported to have gone missing from an illegally run children's home in Bhopal. Furthermore, two district Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) were suspended in connection with the case and notice was issued to another two.

According to the police, 10 girls were found in the Adampur Chawni area, 13 in slums, two in Top Nagar, and one in Raisen.

The case came to light on Thursday when National Commission for Protection Of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairman Priyank Kanungo made a surprise visit to the Aanchal Girls' Hostel in the Parwalia area on the outskirts of Bhopal. After checking the shelter home's register, Kanungo found that there were entries of 68 girls in it, but 26 of them were missing.

The girls hailed from different states, including Gujarat, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

According to Kanungo, a missionary who was managing the children's home rescued some children from the streets and was running the shelter home without any licence. He added that the rescued children were kept secretly in the house and were made to practice Christianity.

The NCPCR Chairman added, "Unfortunately, the officials of the Women and Child Development Department of Madhya Pradesh want to run the child helpline on contract from such NGOs."

All the girls who went missing were living without the orders of the Child Welfare Committee. However, officials of the children's home claimed that the children were rescued and later presented before the committee.

Two Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) were suspended on Saturday after the FIR was filed. The officers, Brijendra Pratap Singh and Komal Upadhyay, faced suspension due to their alleged negligence in the matter.

Show-cause notices were also issued to Sunil Solanki, an officer in the Women and Child Development Department, and Ramgopal Yadav, an assistant director at the department.

Published By:
chingkheinganbi mayengbam
Published On:
Jan 6, 2024