Lucknow: After being blamed for delaying the investigations in the savage Nithari killings, the UP government is now in a damage-control mode.
It has ordered the formation of special cells in every district to track children who have gone missing over the years.
"After Nithari, government has issued an order and the honourable High Court has also issued some directions, acting on a PIL. In pursuance of those recommendations, we have constituted a missing persons cell,” says SSP Lucknow, Rajiv Krishna.
The task of the special cell will be to:
- Issue guidelines to parents on child safety measures.
- Create a toll free child helpline for those in distress.
- Coordinate with Non-Government Organisations and seek their help if required.
New details are coming to light since the creation of the special cell. For example in Lucknow, out of 532 minors who went missing in 2006, majority were between the age group of 10 and 18.
"On the basis of this data we can analyse the pattern,” says Krishna.
That will be of help since UP also holds the dubious distinction of having the highest number of kidnappings in the country. Police now concede they have a task on hand.
“We are tracing who are minors among those missing,” says Kanpur’s Superintendent of Police (Crime), Sripathi Mishra.
Parents in UP do not necessarily have to go to the local police station to lodge a complaint if their child goes missing now.
They can simply dial at the numbers of the special cell. It will be the duty of the officials to help the parent lodge an FIR and ensure that following up action is taken.
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