Allahabad High Court Seeks Detailed Data on Missing Persons in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: The Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench has taken a stern stance on the rising number of missing persons cases in Uttar Pradesh. The court has summoned the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and the Director General of Police (DGP) to appear via video conference on March 23, directing them to submit all records and statistics related to missing individuals in the state.

Bench Orders Comprehensive Record Submission
The directive was issued by a division bench comprising Justice Rajan Rai and Justice A.K. Chaudhary while hearing a suo motu public interest petition. The court emphasized that all records available with the state government regarding missing persons must be presented at the next hearing.

Over 1.08 Lakh People Missing in Two Years
During the proceedings, shocking figures were revealed: in the past two years, 108,300 people have been reported missing in Uttar Pradesh. Of these, police have traced only 9,700 individuals. The court described this situation as extremely serious and alarming.

Growing Concern in Lucknow
The capital, Lucknow, has also witnessed a rise in missing person cases. Families continue to search for their loved ones for months without any leads. For instance, Ram Samujh from Takrohi in Indiranagar reported that his 18-year-old daughter went missing under suspicious circumstances on January 29, with both her and a young man allegedly involved having switched off their mobile phones.

Similarly, Jameel Ahmed, 32, from Sheikhpurwa in Dubagga, has been missing for two months after dropping his wife at her parental home. Vikram Prasad’s 30-year-old son from Chinhat has been missing since July 2024, and despite months of searching, police have been unable to locate him.

Court Demands Accountability by March 23
The High Court has made it clear that during the next hearing, the state government must explain the steps taken to trace missing persons and clarify why the recovery rate remains so low despite the large number of reported cases. The bench stressed that the matter is not just about law and order, but is a serious human rights concern.