The Hindu : New Delhi News : Organised system to track missing children demanded

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Wednesday, Mar 04, 2009
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New Delhi

Organised system to track missing children demanded

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Delhi BJP president O. P. Kohli has demanded that the Union Home Ministry develop an effective system at the national level to recover children who go missing from Delhi and the rest of the country.

Expressing grave concern at over a dozen going missing from Delhi on an average every day, the Delhi BJP chiefsaid it appeared that an organised gang was operating in the Capital.

He said Justice A. P. Shah and Justice Sanjeev Khanna of the Delhi High Court had also directed the Delhi police recently to file their reply in this regard.

More than 2,000 children have gone missing from Delhi during the past six months, he said, adding that despite this the attitude of the police in the matter was very lax.

The BJP leader said retired senior police officer Amod Kanth – who runs the Prayas institute for welfare of children -- had himself said the actual number of children who go missing from Delhi daily was about 45.

Noting that many of these children are forced into begging and other inhuman and illegal practices, Prof. Kohli said there was an urged need for all the States and the Centre to set up a separate department for missing children to provide for coordination at the national level so that whenever a child is recovered the information reaches the place from where a child has gone missing.

He also called for keeping a strong vigil at railway stations and bus stands where children land up on leaving their homes and are targeted by touts.

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