Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have urged the Mohan Yadav-led government to take immediate action after at least 26 girls allegedly went missing from an illegal shelter home in Bhopal.
According to reports, the missing girls hailed from multiple states, including Gujarat, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
“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. Considering the seriousness and sensitivity of the matter, I urge the government to take cognisance and take immediate action,” Chouhan wrote on ‘X’.
The incident surfaced after National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chief Priyank Kanoongo went to a surprise inspection at the shelter home.
According to Kanoongo, the shelter home is being run by a Christian missionary and forced conversion is also being alleged.
“They are being kept secretly in a children’s home and being made to practice Christian religion. Most of the more than 40 girls aged between 6 and 18 are Hindus,” Kanoongo claimed in a social media post in which he also shared the video of the inspection.
An FIR has been registered in this regard and a separate notice has been issued to the Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary, he said.
According to the FIR, as many as 68 girls between 6-18 years of age were registered at the shelter home which was not registered nor being operated under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
The FIR also stated that 26 off them were reported missing. However, it was not clear where they went but those present purportedly admitted worshipping Jesus.