Missing minor girl: Police have failed to trace my child, says father

High Court to hear plea of farmer, who blames the police for not finding the minor girl, who has been missing since August 2018

The Bombay High Court on Friday will hear a habeas corpus petition filed by a poor, Kolhapur-based farmer, whose minor daughter has been missing since August 30 last year. He has blamed the police for failing to trace her.

"I don't know if my daughter is dead or alive. For reasons best known to them, Shahuwadi police in Kolhapur district have failed to make headway in my daughter's case," said the father, who earns Rs 100 as a casual labourer on days when he is not farming.

'Find her, let us know'
While the local police registered an FIR against unknown people for kidnapping, which was registered on September 3 (three days after the girl went missing), the father added, "The police want us to look for her and then inform them if we trace her. Is this the way police investigate a missing person's case?"

He added, "My 17-year-old daughter is the youngest of four girls and studying in Std XII. She was our only support, and we wanted to get her married after her studies. As always, my wife and I left for work, and our daughter was studying at home. When we returned in the evening, she was nowhere to be seen. We looked for her everywhere and then approached the police to lodge a missing person complaint."

The family is so poor that the man finds it difficult to cultivate sufficient rice on their one acre plot in a hilly area, where cultivation happens only for four months (during the monsoon) in a year. The father also has a loan of Rs 10,000 to repay.

Parents' request not accepted
Advocate Rajeshwar Panchal was approached by the Mumbai-based aunt of the girl, and registered the habeas corpus petition in Bombay High Court. Panchal said, "It was during the course of inquiry that the petitioner [the girl's father] learnt that a young man from the village, too, was missing from the same day. He had brought this to the notice of the local police immediately, but they did not take cognisance of it nor questioned the parents of the suspect."

He added, "The police were asked to add the provisions of sections under the POCSO Act against the suspect, as the parents feared that the girl would have been subjected to sexual harassment, but this request was not accepted. This leaves no doubt in one's mind that the police have failed to discharge their duty."

Petitioner warned by police
Panchal further added that as the father did not know the progress of the case, he filed an RTI application dated October 2, 2018 with the police station concerned. He was given a letter by the police dated December 13, 2018, with a warning that if at all he found his daughter, he would inform them.

The petitioner, in his plea, has demanded that the case be handed over to another agency for investigation and has also sought compensation. The court had asked the police to submit their report and give an explanation for failing to act on the complaint. A police officer said, "We have registered a complaint and our investigation is still underway. The matter is being investigated by Sub-Inspector Ranmale."

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