Bhopal: In a shocking development, as many as 26 girls, who were living at an shelter home in Madhya Pradesh’s capital city Bhopal, have been reported missing.
Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan has urged the state government for action in the case as the shelter home was allegedly operating without permission. The girls were brought to Bhopal after being rescued from different states like Gujarat, Jharkhand and Rajasthan beside Madhya Pradesh.
"The case of the disappearance of 26 girls from a children's home operating without permission in Parwalia police station area of Bhopal has come to my notice," Chouhan said in a post on X. "Considering the seriousness and sensitivity of the matter, I urge the government to take cognizance and take immediate action," he added.
The matter unfolded after National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairman Priyank Kanungo made a surprise visit to the Anchal Girls hostel located in the Parwalia area on the outskirts of Bhopal.
After a surprise inspection, Kanungo claimed he found that there were entries of 68 girls in it, but 26 of them were missing. “When Anil Mathew, the director of the shelter home, was questioned about the missing girls, he did not give satisfactory answers. An FIR has been filed by the police in the case,” Kanungo added.
He further claimed a missionary, who was managing the children’s home, had rescued some children from the streets and was running the shelter home without any license. The NCPCR Chairman also alleged that those rescued had been kept secretly in the children's house and were made to practice Christianity.
"Most of the girls aged between 6 and 18 are Hindus. After much difficulty, the police have registered an FIR. Unfortunately, the officials of the Women and Child Development Department of Madhya Pradesh want to run the child helpline on contract from such NGOs,” he added. (With inputs from IANS)
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