26 Girls Missing From Bhopal Children's Home: Shivraj Chouhan Demands Action

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Saturday, urged the Mohan Yadav government to take decisive action in the case concerning the disappearance of 26 girls from an unauthorized children's facility in Bhopal's Parwalia area.

"The case of the disappearance of 26 girls from a children's home operating without permission in Parwalia police station area of Bhopal has come to my notice," Chouhan said in a post on X.

"Considering the seriousness and sensitivity of the matter, I urge the government to take cognisance and take immediate action," he added.

An FIR has been lodged at the Parwaliya Sadak Police Station in Bhopal, citing sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. An individual named Anil Methew, identified as the manager of the children's home, has been named as an accused, according to ANI reports.

The FIR revealed that among the 68 registered girls, aged between 6 to 18 years, 26 are reported missing. It highlighted that the home operated without adherence to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, remaining unregistered.

Priyank Kanoongo, the Chief of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), addressed the issue in a social media post, alleging that the children in this unauthorized shelter were allegedly coerced into practicing Christianity.

In a post on social media X, Kanoongo alleged that the children kept in this illegal shelter home are forced to practice Christianity.

"An illegal children's home run by missionaries was inspected by me along with the chairperson and members of the state children's commission. The coordinating NGO had been working as child line partner like a government agency till recently. The children are being kept in the home that is running operations without license. The children are aged between six and 18 and majority of them are Hindus," Kanoongo added.

Expressing challenges faced in filing the FIR, Kanoongo stated, "Despite hardships, an FIR was eventually registered. Regrettably, officials from Madhya Pradesh's women and child welfare department intend to collaborate with such NGOs to run child helplines under contract."