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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Raj Thackeray tormented over ‘missing kids’ in state

Mumbai : Expressing grave concerns over the steep rise in cases of ‘missing children’ in the state, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray has accused the state government of treating the matter casually and failing to respond to it urgently.   In an open missive on 'X' to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Raj Thackeray quoted data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) pointing at almost an alarming 30 pc increase in the number of children ‘missing’ in the state...

Raj Thackeray tormented over ‘missing kids’ in state

Mumbai : Expressing grave concerns over the steep rise in cases of ‘missing children’ in the state, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray has accused the state government of treating the matter casually and failing to respond to it urgently.   In an open missive on 'X' to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Raj Thackeray quoted data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) pointing at almost an alarming 30 pc increase in the number of children ‘missing’ in the state between 2021-2024.   When asked for his reactions, Fadnavis told media-persons in Nagpur that he had not read the letter, but the issue raised is important and he would reply to it. Fadnavis stated that the NCRB has also provided the reasons why the kids go ‘missing’, how they return and the period, ranging from 3 days to 18 months.   Dwelling on the sufficiency of the NCRB figures, he contended that they reflect only complaints formally registered by the police and thousands of cases may never be reported.   On the ‘rescue, return and reunion’ of such missing children, he pointed to the sheer psychological trauma they may have suffered and sought to know how such child-lifter networks continued to thrive openly and blatantly.   The MNS chief targeted what he claimed was the “state’s lack of proactive measures to identify and dismantle child-begging rackets” as many juveniles can be seen begging at railway stations, bus stands, traffic signals, often accompanied by adults with doubtful authenticity.   “If some woman claims to be the child’s relative or guardian, should the government not order a thorough probe? Is it inappropriate to consider even a DNA test in suspicious cases,” Raj Thackeray demanded.   Slamming the government and the Opposition, he lamented how both sides failed to prioritise such urgent social issues in the legislature where discussions centre around partisan sparring.   The letter also mentions attempts by the Centre to coordinate with states on the ‘missing or trafficked children’, regretting how political upmanships and symbolic debates prevent meaningful action on the ground.   The NCRB said that Maharashtra has consistently ranked among states with the highest number of ‘missing children’, particularly in urban centres like Mumbai, Thane, and Pune.   Simultaneously, experts, child rights NGOs and activists have warned about trafficking networks that exploit poverty, migration and weak law enforcement and low convictions, despite official rescue missions or rehab efforts.   In his appeal, Raj Thackeray called upon Fadnavis to take concrete, visible measures rather than discussions and conventions. “Maharashtra expects decisive steps from you, not speeches. Jai Maharashtra,” he signed off.     In October 2023,Sharad Pawar red-flagged ‘missing girls-women’ This is the second major social cause by a political leader, two years after Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar had red-flagged nearly 20,000 ‘missing women and girls’ from the state between Jan-May 2023.   In the present instance, Raj Thackeray said that “behind the statistics lies a far more disturbing reality involving organised, inter-state gangs that kidnap children, physically abuse them and force them into begging rings”.   “Little kids are assaulted, made to beg and shifted across states. Groups of children disappear suddenly, and the government appears unable, or unwilling, to grasp the seriousness of what is happening,” said Thackeray in a strong tone.

Digital Delinquency

Updated: Mar 20

The prime mover behind the communal tensions that flared in Nagpur was the unchecked spread of misinformation across social media. A viral video depicting the burning of an effigy wrapped in a green cloth led to baseless claims of the Quran being burned, which in turn triggered outrage, protest and bloodshed. With over 130,000 posts under hashtags like #NagpurViolence in a matter of hours, platforms such as X, Instagram and WhatsApp became both accelerants and battlefields within moments. The incident, which left over 30 people including policemen wounded, and saw widespread arson and vandalism, should serve as a wake-up call for the Supreme Court to act decisively in regulating social media.


The Indian government has long been aware of social media’s role in stoking unrest. From the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots to the 2023 communal clashes in Kolhapur over WhatsApp messages glorifying Aurangzeb and Tipu Sultan, digital misinformation has repeatedly played a lethal role. In the latest episode in Nagpur, police quickly flagged over 100 social media accounts that had spread incendiary content. Some were found to be sharing old or altered videos to provoke further violence.


This digital delinquency is not just an Indian problem. Social media has been complicit in Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis, Brazil’s political riots, and America’s Capitol insurrection. The challenge, then, is not just curbing individual incidents but developing a regulatory framework that prevents such escalations in the first place. The Supreme Court, which recently urged the government to establish guidelines for regulating social media content, must seize this moment to push through decisive reforms.


The Nagpur riots should serve as a case study in the dangers of algorithmic negligence. Platforms profit from virality, with outrage-inducing content receiving disproportionate engagement. While law enforcement scrambles to track IP addresses, WhatsApp forwards protected by end-to-end encryption pose a tougher challenge. Social media firms, eager to expand their user bases in India, have little incentive to police content unless forced to do so.


This is where the Supreme Court must step in. It should press the government for clear, enforceable regulations. Mandatory content moderation teams based in India, stricter penalties for platforms failing to curb misinformation, and real-time cooperation between social media giants and law enforcement could be starting points. One avenue is to empower India’s cybersecurity agencies with greater autonomy to act against fake news before it snowballs into violence. If left unchecked, digital disinformation will continue to stoke communal flashpoints. Nagpur’s turmoil, like similar incidents before it, underscores the urgency of action.


Nations like Germany, where platforms are required to remove hate speech within 24 hours or face steep fines, offer a model for balancing free expression with public safety. India must follow suit. The government has urged social media platforms to swiftly remove inflammatory content. The need of the hour is a comprehensive policy that holds both platforms and individuals accountable for spreading falsehoods and dousing digital wildfires.

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