On Saturday, the Madhya Pradesh Police successfully located all 26 girls who were reported missing from an illegally run children's home in Bhopal. Additionally, the authorities took action against two district Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) involved in the case, suspending them, and issuing notices to two other officers.
According to police reports, 10 girls were discovered in the Adampur Chawni area, 13 in the slums, two in Top Nagar, and one in Raisen.
The incident came to light on Thursday when National Commission for Protection Of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairman Priyank Kanungo conducted a surprise visit to the Aanchal Girls' Hostel in the Parwalia area on the outskirts of Bhopal. During the inspection of the shelter home's register, Kanungo observed entries for 68 girls, but 26 of them were reported missing.
The girls belonged to various states, including Gujarat, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.
Kanungo revealed that a missionary managing the children's home had rescued some children from the streets and was operating the shelter home without a license. He further noted that the rescued children were kept confidentially in the house and were subjected to Christian practices.
The NCPCR Chairman expressed concern that officials from Madhya Pradesh's Women and Child Development Department were inclined to contract child helpline services from such NGOs.
All the missing girls were found to be living without the approval of the Child Welfare Committee. Nonetheless, officials from the children's home contended that the children had been rescued and subsequently presented before the committee.
Following the filing of an FIR, two Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs), Brijendra Pratap Singh and Komal Upadhyay, were suspended on Saturday due to their alleged negligence in the matter. Additionally, show-cause notices were issued to Sunil Solanki, an officer in the Women and Child Development Department, and Ramgopal Yadav, an assistant director at the department.
