NHRC takes suo motu cognizance of Bhopal missing girl case, seeks report from MP Govt

New Delhi [India], May 1 (ANI): The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that even after 18 days, there has been no breakthrough in the case of a six-year-old girl who went missing from an under-bridge in Koh-e-Fiza area in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal.
The Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP) of Madhya Pradesh, seeking a detailed report within two weeks, as per an official release.
Reportedly, the missing child's mother, a homeless woman with eight children, suspects the involvement of one of the relatives in the disappearance of her daughter. But the police is not conducting a fair investigation, and no arrests have been made in the matter to date, the release said.
It further added, "Reportedly, this is not just one case of disappearance, as over 3,400 women and girls have gone missing in the State during the last three years, as per the data of the Madhya Pradesh police. Allegedly, the CCTV networks are patchy, rapid-response teams are missing in action, and there is no coordination between the units."
"The Commission observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights. Therefore, it has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Government of Madhya Pradesh, calling for a detailed report in the matter within two weeks," the release read.
According to the media report, carried on April 25, 2025, a drive under the name 'Operation Muskan' launched last year by the State police to rescue and rehabilitate the missing girls has not shown any results, the release further added.
Meanwhile, reacting to the Bhopal minor girl's missing case, Bhopal Commissioner of Police Harinarayanchari Mishra said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was probing the matter.
According to police data, the incident of the minor girl going missing happened on the intervening night of April 5 and April 6 at around 2 am.
The case was registered in the matter on April 22 under Section 137(2) (Punishment for Kidnapping) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sahita (BNS). (ANI)