MP: 26 Girls 'Missing' From Bhopal's 'Illegal' Shelter Traced At Their Homes; Director Booked After Scare

The 26 girls, who were reported to have gone missing from an ‘illegally’ run children’s home in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal, have been traced to their homes, the police said on Sunday. However, at least three officials of MP’s Women and Child Development (WCD) department have been suspended, and two others served show-cause notices for negligence.

The director of the ‘illegal’ Aanchal Girls’ Hostel in Bjopal’s Parwalia area has also been booked after a surprise inspection by National Commission for Protection Of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairman Priyank Kanungo triggered a scare over 26 girls ‘missing’ from there.

As per the police, though the ‘missing’ children were found, the surprise inspection revealed a lack of paperwork about girls being handed over to their families.

Shelter director Anil Mathew has been booked under the sections of the Juvenile Justice Act following a complaint filed by WCD district programme officer Ramgopal Yadav.

As per the report, WCD officials Komal Upadhyaya, Brijendra Pratap Singh, and Manjusha Raj have been suspended by authorities, while deputy director Ramgopal Yadav and district programme officer Sunil Solanki were given showcase notices.

During the investigation, it was also found that the shelter home was being run illegally.

“The home wasn’t registered and the orphans were kept there without permission from the Child Welfare Committee,” said Bhopal Collector Kaushalendra Vikram Singh.

The Case

The case came to light on Thursday when a joint team of NCPCR, MP State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) and WCD made a surprise visit to the Aanchal Girls’ Hostel.

During the inspection, it was found that while 67 girls– aged 6-18 years– were registered there, only 41 were present at the home. All these girls hailed from different states, including Gujarat, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and were brought there after being rescued from the streets.

After the news about the ‘missing’ girls broke, a frantic search ensued, following which it was found all the children returned to their homes after staying at the shelter for some time.

But the director, a missionary, could reportedly not provide documents to show that they had been handed back to their families.

All 41 girls, who were found at the Aanchal Girls’ Hostel, have been shifted to registered shelters, according to officials.

As per the FIR registered by police in the case, the shelter was found to be located in an agricultural field in an isolated area and there were no CCTV cameras on the premises.

Further, there were two men among four security guards deployed on night duty, despite rules specifying only women guards can be deployed at girls’ shelter homes.

The FIR also mentioned that director Anil Mathew earlier ran Railway ChildLine and registered many orphans at his home through outreach programmes in various areas, without taking CWC’s permission.

CM Warms Of Tough Action

After the case came to light, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan urged the Mohan Yadav-led government to take immediate action on the matter.

After the girls were located, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav warned of tough action against the culprits.

“The missing girls from the children’s home have been verified. All the daughters are safe. They have been identified. Not a single culprit will be spared in this matter,” he said.