‘Without complaint we felt helpless in missing women cases’

 

 

 

If one goes by the statistics one would find that the cases of missing women were more in 2019, 2020, 2021. But, a lot of hype is being made about the cases in 2023, while the number of cases has actually halved. Maharashtra State Commission for Women chairperson Rupali Chakankar told ‘The Hitavada’ that the cases could not be acted upon if missing complaints were not made. Chakankar was responding to a question on her stand regarding previous cases of missing women. She said she had asked the Home Department to compile data of missing women after receiving complaints from 82 families. Chakankar was in Nagpur to attend the function of The Dharampeth Mahila Multi-Cooperative Society. The Society dedicated its new building ‘Sita Ram Bhavan’ to people. Chakankar who took charge as Chairperson of Women Commission in 2021 said,“I won’t be able to say anything that happened before 2021. After 2021 I took several initiatives regarding preventing child marriage. We don’t go by the data, as we follow the principle of taking action against the complaint received.

 

This time we got registered First Information Report (FIR) at Sakinaka. It was the first such FIR.” On the website ofWomen Commission the concern was expressed regarding the missing women cases. The Commission has said that the cases have increased in State in the last few months so the Home Department should form a committee to investigate the same. The department should carry out a search campaign and the report of the action taken should be submitted to the commission every 15 days, pointed out Chakankar. According to National Crime Report Bureau, in 2019 the average cases of missing women daily were 185, in 2020 the number had gone down to 175 and in 2021 it was reduced to 156. The cases have been reducing but the form of crime is serious. Many people suspected that in most missing women cases the angle of Love Jihad was involved. According to Chakankar no case has relation with Love Jihad as the women were lured by offering better jobs.

 

“Many families lost their bread-earners, in some families they lost jobs.Taking undue advantage of the situation, the miscreants came forward and offered the lucrative jobs to women mostly in other countries. 82 families of Pune and P i m p r i - C h i n c h w a d approached me with the complaints of missing women who have gone abroad. These families are unable to contact those women belonging to them.” Surprisingly, the annual report prepared by Commission itself is missing since 2017. The last annual report uploaded on the website is of 2016-2017. When the attention of Chakankar was brought to it, she expressed surprise as according to her the subsequent reports were uploaded. She said she would personally look into it. Awareness in women is lacking about their own rights. Women empowerment is possible if every woman start realising her right. Secondly, there is a need of strict implementation of the acts those have been created for the protection of women, added Chakankar.