A day after the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court pulled up the commissioner of police (CP) over missing minor girls and ordered close monitoring of investigations in such cases, the Lucknow Police was under pressure even as it said it had formed multiple teams to find the 34 girls who remain untraced across the city.
In what appeared to be a damage-control exercise, deputy commissioner of police (East) Deeksha Sharma said senior officers were personally monitoring the cases and that all zones had been directed to follow a standard operating procedure (SOP) in the investigations.
“Multiple teams have been constituted and the probe is being tracked closely. A proper SOP is being followed and soon the remaining 34 missing girls will also be found. We are following the directives given by the high court,” Sharma told HT.
The development comes after Justice Praveen Kumar Giri, while hearing a habeas corpus petition, expressed concern over the handling of missing minor girls’ cases and directed judicial officers to monitor investigations. The court also sought a progress report from police commissioner Amrendra Sengar on the 34 girls who are yet to be traced and fixed July 3 for the next hearing.
According to affidavits submitted before the court by the Lucknow commissioner of police, 261 girls were reported abducted/kidnapped, enticed away or missing in Lucknow during the last six months. Police have traced 227 of them, while 34 remain missing. The highest number of pending cases is in the East Zone (10), followed by the South Zone (7), West Zone (6), North Zone (6) and Central Zone (5).
The court had also directed deputy commissioners of police of all zones to keep judicial officers informed in writing about the progress of investigations until every missing girl is recovered, warning that failure to do so could invite contempt proceedings.
The issue has been under judicial scrutiny for several months. Earlier this year, the high court expressed concern over the handling of missing persons cases across Uttar Pradesh and sought detailed data from the state government.
Police officials said dedicated teams are now working on each pending case, with zone-wise supervision by senior officers and periodic reviews to ensure quicker tracing of the girls.
