67 women reported missing in 9 months
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 27 2014 : Altogether 67 women have been reported missing between January and September 26 this year based on newspaper reports, according to data collected by Women Action for Development.

In five years, the State has recorded heaps of missing cases.

Newspaper report missing cases of women and girls almost everyday.

But these reports are less compared to the number of such cases filed at police stations everyday.

Ninety per cent of the total missing women/girls cases known to the State are that of women eloping with their respective lovers.

Fifty out of the 67 missing women/girls cases are married women, six are singles, seven minors, all below 18 years of age and four are children below 10 years of age.

Again, fifty six out of the total 67 cases are Meetei women/girl, three are tribal, five Muslims and the remaining three belong to the non-Manipuri category.

Imphal East district has the highest number of missing cases with 23 such cases recorded in just 9 months.

Imphal West district with 22 cases occupies the second position, Thoubal district comes in third place with 11 cases, Churachandpur in fourth with 5 cases and Bishnupur district in fifth with 3 cases recorded till now.

There are also three separate cases of missing women where the place of occurrence cannot be ascertained.

Of the 67 cases, three women were found brutally murdered and abandoned.

A ten year mute and deaf girl from Chandanpokpi village under Bishnupur police station went missing on January 22 this year and a missing report was filed with police on January 25.However, the girl was found dead and buried in mud under a culvert along a canal located to the west of Chandanpokpi village on January 31 .

In the same month, at Hatta Tellipatti, 27 year old Survi Sultana, a mother of two children, went missing.

A missing report was then filed with Porompat police station on January 9 .

On January 15 Survi Sultana was found dead at the foot of a hill under Kumbi police station.

In another case, the body of 55 year old Sera Khatun who was reported missing from January 19 was recovered from Nambul river on January 21 .

The previous year also recorded various such cases.

To cite some example, Premila from Wabagai, Ratanmala from Khurai, Seityabati from Kakwa were all found dead after they went missing for a few days.

Talking to The Sangai Express, Women Action for Development secretary Sobita Mangsatabam, Chairperson of Manipur State Commission for Women, representatives of Imphal East and West district police stations gave their varied opinion on the issue.

According to the statements made by police officials from five Imphal East and West district police stations and as per the recorded statements by them, 90 per cent of the total missing women/girls cases reported so far are that of married women eloping with other men.

Eighty per cent out of these married women were victims of domestic violence and such other related crises and the remaining 10 per cent were amoral women, according to them.

According to these officials, the police have been able to successfully trace every missing case reported in every station till date.

Soon after a missing report is filed, police collect details of the missing woman including her family members, friends, relatives, workplace as well as her personal history.

These details when collated give a hint about where the woman could be.

The missing report as well as the details of the missing woman are informed to all police stations through electronic messages.

Police stations located along highways leading out of the State are put on extra alert, a lady police informed this reporter.

Manipur State Commission for Women Chairperson Dr Ibetombi said though no such cases of missing women have been filed with the Commission till date however, the number of such cases are growing everyday.

With the trend of consuming intoxicants widely spread in the State and as cases of domestic violence surges, the rate of missing women has also grown side by side, she added.

Expressing a similar view point, Women Action for Development secretary, Sobita Mangsatabam said the environment where one lives in directly contributes to the well being of a family.

Domestic violence and such other family issues can directly be said to have arisen from lack of job opportunities in the State, the increasing rate of food prices etc.

When these women go missing, specially married women, they leave behind their own children.

These children are in the process deprived of the care and affection due to them, Sobita added.

Sobita further expressed her discontentment with the manner in which police departments handle missing cases.

She alleged that the department does not employ special infrastructure to track down these missing victims.

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