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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.

IB officer wanted to take parents to Vaishno Devi

  • PTI
  • Apr 24
  • 2 min read
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Ranchi: Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Manish Ranjan, who was killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, had planned to take his parents to the Vaishno Devi shrine after returning from this vacation, one of his friends recounted.


Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, who was at the Ranchi airport on Thursday morning to receive Ranjan's mortal remains, said he was a meritorious student.


"His father recently retired as the headmaster of the Hindi High School in Jhalda. Ranjan had planned to take his parents to Vaishno Devi after this vacation," he said.


Ranjan, a section officer with the IB posted in Hyderabad, was among the 26 people killed in the terror attack on Tuesday.


"We had never thought such a gruesome incident would take place. People say terrorists have no religion, but innocent people were brutally killed because of their religion," said another friend, Aditya Sharma, who also came to the Ranchi airport to take his mortal remains to his native place in Jhalda in West Bengal's Purulia district.


Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi was among the leaders and administrative officers who paid homage to Ranjan at the airport.


Marandi said the way innocent people were killed on the basis of their religion is not pardonable.


"The perpetrators of the crime will be brought to justice by the government. The masterminds of the attack will also not be spared," he said.


'Ranjan left for Kashmir with smile'

Ranchi/Jhalda: "I don't want to speak… please leave me alone," those were the only words Intelligence Bureau officer Manish Ranjan's father Manglesh Kumar Mishra could muster, his voice cracking under the weight of unspeakable loss.


A retired school headmaster from Jhalda in West Bengal's Purulia district, he stood trembling as the coffin of his 33-year-old son returned to his Jhalda home in West Bengal's Purulia district on Thursday afternoon.


Ranjan, a section officer with the IB posted in Hyderabad, was among the 26 people killed in the Pahalgam terror attack on Tuesday.

"Ranjan left for Kashmir with a smile. He would call us every day on the phone and WhatsApp to ask about our health. We even received his call on the fateful day," his father said. One of his friends recounted that after returning from this vacation, Ranjan had planned to take his parents to the Vaishno Devi shrine.


Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, who was at Ranchi airport on Thursday morning to receive Ranjan's mortal remains, said he was a meritorious student.

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