Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Increased exposure to digital sources of entertainment as well as social media has resulted in teenagers taking the reins of leading their lives on their own and 504 such kids of Bhopal left their homes in 2023 to travel helter-skelter. The issue came to light, when Free Press took stock of the number of children, who had gone missing in the bygone year, and were later traced by the Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU).
The missing children were successfully handed over to their parents. The data revealed by the senior SJPU officials mentioned that a total of 581 kids had gone missing in 2023, of whom 504 had voluntarily left homes for travelling. The officials said that these kids, who voluntarily left homes, when traced and counselled, said their parents could not make time for them to take them outstation, and hence they ended up taking such extreme steps.
Shedding light on such cases, they mentioned that a kid studying at a private school in Bhopal, aged 14, and the son of a government officer and a college professor, often used to plead before his parents for a trip to Mumbai, as he had witnessed the city’s charm in movies and web series.
After numerous requests, when the kid realised his parents could not make time for him to take him outstation, he left for Mumbai himself. He was later rescued at Khandwa junction after his co-passengers spotted him travelling alone. Adding to this were some cases, in which several kids fond of rock shows decided to attend a concert in Goa in December 2023.
The kids, six in number, were students of Class 8. They unanimously decided to travel to Goa and attend the concert, after being denied to be taken to Goa by their parents. Their bid was, however foiled, as the group was short of money, and embarked on the train to Goa without tickets.
After the ticket checker sought the tickets from them, the group misled him for some time, and later confessed they did not have tickets. The GRP were informed, who got in touch with Bhopal police and sent them back safely.
The SJPU officials also underscored that of all 581 kids who went missing in 2023, four of them had been convicted under several offences, and escaped from the city to avoid staying at juvenile homes/correction homes. When contacted, SJPU in-charge Kiran Pendro, she said she was on leave, and was in Jabalpur currently. She refused to comment on the issue by mentioning that all the rescued kids were sent for counselling, to ensure they do not repeat such acts in the future.
