Govt to act on NHRC recommendations on missing children:Minister

New Delhi, Aug 14 (UNI) Minister of state for Home Manikrao Gavit today said appropriate action will be taken on the recommendations of National Human Rights Commission, to contain the problem of missing children.

The government will follow up with the state governments and consult with the Ministries concerned about the measures to curb the problem, he said in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

The NHRC prepared the report after taking suo motu cognisance after the horrendous Nithari episode.

Talking about the Nithari case's present status, he said CBI has registered 19 cases pertaining to the murder of 18 children and women. Till date, chargesheets have been filed in eleven cases in the court of the SJM, Gazhiabad, while remaining eight cases are under investigation.

He said as per the CBI report, the identity of eight children and women has been conclusively established by DNA tests while that of of three victims was done through identification of their clothes and belongings by the parents and relatives of the deceased, confession of the accused recorded under Section 164 Cr PC.

The identity of the remaining victims is being ascertained through the skull superimposition test being carried out at CFSL, Chandigarh, he added.

In reply to another supplementary, he said the Uttar Pradesh government has provided assistance to 17 victims.

The NHRC, in its 21-point recommendations on missing children in the country, had called for measures like setting up of special squad in every police station to trace missing children, and establishing of a National Tracking System for locating those children from the grass-roots level.

UNI