14,500 missing children in Bihar, says Patna High Court after newborn disappears

The court was hearing a plea filed by a man whose newborn child allegedly went missing from a hospital in Nalanda.

The Patna High Court recently criticised the “insensitive approach” of police and district authorities in a case involving the alleged disappearance of a newborn from a hospital in Nalanda, noting that the FIR was allegedly registered after a delay of nearly two months.

The division bench of Justices Rajeev Ranjan Prasad and Sunil Dutta Mishra on September 15 observed that the case was a ‘burning example’ of an insensitive approach not only by police officers but also by the District Magistrate, Nalanda, who delayed lodging the FIR.

“Even recently in the one day state level conference of the juvenile justice, the Director General of Police, Bihar went on record saying that in one year there were reports of more than ‘14,500’ missing children. If this is the position then one thing which we all must be unanimous to resolve that the charge of the police stations be given only to sensitive officers in the police force, their attitudinal test is required to be conducted and only after understanding their bent of mind as to what level they are sensitised to act in these matters, they are required to be posted in the police stations,” the order read.

Justices Rajeev Ranjan Prasad and Sunil Dutta Mishra pulled up the authorities over delay.

The court was hearing a plea filed by a man whose newborn child allegedly went missing from a hospital in Nalanda. The court was informed that action had been taken towards cancellation of the hospital’s licence.

The SP informed the court that the investigation was examining whether inter-district or inter-state gangs or brokers could be involved in the alleged lifting and sale of newborn children.

During an interaction with the child’s father and uncle, the petitioner alleged that the SHO had threatened him during the DNA test and that the police initially refused to register his complaint about the missing child, making him run from one place to another for around two months.

He also alleged that the first investigating officer allowed evidence to be tampered with. The court directed the SP to verify these allegations and identify any officer responsible for failing to register the FIR or take appropriate action within the “golden hour”.

The court expressed concern over the larger issue of missing children, observing that despite several seminars and conferences on human trafficking and the sale of newborns, police inaction during the crucial initial period could make tracing a child extremely difficult.

The court further observed that police stations should be headed by officers who are adequately sensitised to such cases and suggested that officers’ “attitudinal test” should be conducted before they are posted in charge of police stations. For the investigation, the court directed that SHO concerned be detached from the Special Investigation Team and transferred elsewhere.

The petitioner also told the court that some people had recently visited his house and asked him to settle or withdraw the case. The court directed immediate verification of the allegation and ordered that an FIR be registered if the allegations were found to be true. It also directed that adequate protection be provided to the child’s family.