30196 women from Andhra, 42,561 from Telangana missing in 3 years: Centre
Earlier, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan had alleged that the village/ward volunteers were behind the human trafficking in the state. A closer look at the numbers tells that the number of missing girls and women in the state has been increasing.
By Sri Lakshmi Muttevi Published on 27 July 2023 3:04 AM GMT
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Amaravati: A total of 30196 women and girls have gone missing in Andhra Pradesh from 2019 to 2021. Likewise, 42,561 females disappeared in Telangana during the same period.
This was stated by Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The data also shows the number of missing cases was high in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, and Haryana states.
National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles and publishes information on crime in its publication `Crime in India’. The reports are available until the year 2021.
According to the Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra, during the 3 years from 2019 to 2021, a total of 30,196 females from Andhra Pradesh which includes (7918 girls below 18 years) and (22,278 women, above 18 years) went missing.
Earlier, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan had alleged that the village/ward volunteers were behind the human trafficking in the state. A closer look at the numbers tells that the number of missing girls and women in the state has been increasing.
According to the data, in 2019, 2186 girls and 6252 women went missing, In 2020, 2374 girls and 7057 women went missing, and in 2021, 3358 girls and 8969 women went missing from Andhra Pradesh.
Telangana too has more missing cases
As per the data, Telangana state too has a high number of missing women cases.
In 2019, 2840 girls and 10744 women went missing, In 2020, 2232 girls and 10917 women went missing, and In 2021, 2994 girls and 12834 women went missing.
Pawan Kalyan comments on missing women
On July 9, during a public meeting in Eluru, Pawan Kalyan alleged that nearly 30,000 women had been trafficked from the southern state, enabled by the state government's grassroots governance system's foot soldiers including ward and village volunteers.
Claiming that he is privy to intelligence from central agencies, the actor-politician said that 30,000 women went missing from the state. "Only 14,000 missing women managed to return, while 16,000 women are yet to be traced. I demand answers about the whereabouts of the remaining women," he said.
He claimed that volunteers are relaying information from every village to ruling party leaders. The information relates to family strength, if girls have fallen in love with anyone, how many widows are there, and other details.
Information about women who are alone is considered. "Some anti-social elements are making use of this information to target women and traffic or trap them," said Pawan Kalyan.
On Wednesday, Pawan Kalyan took to Twitter asking the government about missing girls and women. “What's happening to them? Who will take responsibility? Will the AP Mahila Commission come to the press and talk about this in public tomorrow?” he asked
He demanded an explanation from the Home Ministry and Director General of Police. Earlier, the AP Women Commission Chairperson Vasireddy Padma asked Pawan Kalyan to tender an apology for his comments against volunteers within 10 days.
Jana Sena party demanded the Home Minister and DGP react to the incident.
