Missing girls: Calcutta HC blames poverty

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The Calcutta High Court today observed that poverty and social causes were responsible for the large number of cases of missing girls in the Sunderbans area.

The SPs of North and South 24-Parganas — the Sunderbans straddles both districts — today appeared in court in compliance with an order in connection with cases of missing girls.

During the hearing, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Jaynarayan Patel and Justice Jaymalya Bagchi said that the ground reality was critical in the Sunderbans, where 12 girls went missing in the past year. A habeas corpus petition was filed as police failed to trace them.

The SP of South 24 Parganas apprised the court that of three missing girls, two were rescued. The SP of North 24 Parganas filed a report stating that of nine missing girls, four were rescued.

After going through the report, the Division Bench said that in several cases, parents were responsible for the missing cases. The poor families send their girls away for jobs. But when the girls stopped sending money, the parents filed missing cases. It is difficult to stop such incidents when social causes are responsible, said the court.

Government pleader Ashoke Banerjee pointed out that after Cyclone Aila, which devastated the Sunderbans in 2008, the condition of the locals became critical. Conditions had improved in the past year with government initiatives.

The Division Bench asked the SPs to carry out a probe to trace the missing girls and file a report in the high court.