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NEW DELHI: The four-member Central committee, inquiring into the Nithari killings, has indicted the Uttar Pradesh administration and police for "apathy and indifference" in dealing with the complaints of children missing.

"Since the modus operandi and the motive of the crimes are not still clear, there is need to investigate these crimes from different perspectives, including organ trade, sexual exploitation and other forms of crimes against the children," said the committee, which submitted its report to the Minister of State for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury here on Wednesday. The report will be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the case.

Even though reports of a number of children missing came from just one locality, the police did not take sufficient action to trace them, the committee said. The victims' families did not receive any support or cooperation from the administration or the community until the crimes got nationwide publicity.

As the CBI investigation helped to recover more body parts spread over a larger area, involvement of more persons and a larger geographical spread also needed to be probed. The identification of the victims was based only on the confessions of the accused. Further investigation was needed to confirm the initial findings.

Constituted on January 3 to investigate the allegations of sexual abuse, rape and murder of children at Nithari, the committee visited the village and Noida twice, held discussions with officials, met the families of the victims, and local residents. Chaired by Manjula Krishnan, Joint Secretary, Women and Child Development Ministry (WCD), the committee included K. Skandan, Joint Secretary, Home Ministry, and J.S. Kochher, Director, WCD Ministry.

The fourth member, Balvinder Kumar, Secretary, Women and Child Development Department of Uttar Pradesh, abstained from the meetings.

The committee has observed that reporting and investigating cases of children missing, especially from poor families, are not given due priority.

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