Raj Lali Gill, Chairperson of the Punjab State Commission for Women, on Monday said she was not satisfied with the report submitted by the Police Commissionerate regarding the missing minor girls from Ludhiana.
Gill has directed the police to again furnish detailed information on each case, including the number of FIRs registered, the dates and locations where they were lodged, and the outcome of the investigations. She has sought case-wise details from the Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, who has requested two to three days to submit the information.
Speaking to The Tribune, Gill said the report submitted by the police lacked details and failed to provide a clear picture of the status of the cases. “I have asked the police to submit a comprehensive report so that the status of every individual case can be examined,” she said, adding that the commission would ensure that the matter reached a logical conclusion and that the affected families received satisfactory answers.
The disappearance of around a dozen minor girls from Ludhiana during May has raised serious concerns and sparked widespread public debate. While the police maintain that there is a pattern in these cases and that most of the girls belong to migrant families, questions continue to be raised about the circumstances under which the teenagers went missing.
Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma and Assistant Police Commissioner RS Bhullar, who is probing the matter, have maintained that the issue was blown out of proportion on social media. According to the police, the girls left their homes voluntarily and four of them had already been traced, with no evidence of abduction found.
However, with affected parents continuing to inquire the whereabouts of their girls, the explanation provided by the police failed to convince the chairperson of the commission, who has sought a detailed account of every case. “Since it is a serious and sensitive matter, it cannot be taken lightly," said Gill. Two days ago, the police had released a statement saying 4 of these 11 missing girls had been united with their families, while three more of them had been traced. Further investigation into the matter is underway, said the police.
