Pain Of Missing Kins

Several families nationwide are experiencing profound distress following the unexplained missing of their loved ones. The number of missing persons, from young service personnel and students to retired civil servants and elderly ones, has risen to record levels over the past few years. While a few are eventually found, many others are lost forever—leaving families in pain, and questions unanswered. Police records on missing persons show a stark picture. 

As per a news report published in this daily the other day, more than 68,000 persons were reported missing in the last four fiscal years, with a record high of missing cases at over 23,000 in the last year. Most of those who went missing are women and children, clearly indicating that they are the most vulnerable members of missing incidents. Despite officials' claims that some 81 per cent of the missing reappear or are found, nearly one in five never shows up. 

This is not a crisis to be explained away in terms of individual instances of family discord or short-term removal. This is a national crisis rooted in underlying social and economic fissures. Mental illnesses, unemployment, the neglect of older and disabled people, and economic traps like internet gambling have all been cited as root causes behind the rising missing persons. The crisis is compounded by a lack of risk awareness, weak communal cohesion, and a lack of protection from trafficking and exploitative labour abuses. 

The state's response until now has not been encouraging in tackling the issues that compel individuals to go missing. While police put out circulars and missing notices, there are no follow-ups and structured coordination to trace the untraced. Families often have to search markets, temples, bus stops, city streets and river banks with crumpled photos, hoping for information. The absence of a special mechanism to search for the whereabouts of the persons who went missing for a long time only exposes the unwillingness of the authorities to address the problem that is shattering families.

The families of victims seek not only sympathy but action so that they can get information about the missing members. The government first must address missing cases as a public safety concern, rather than an individual family bereavement. That includes enhancing search capabilities, advancing coordination between the provinces and border management, and investing in tools like a centralised computer tracking system. Second, preventive policies have to be stepped up—enhanced regulation against cyber deceptions, enhanced vigilance of vulnerable populations, and more counselling centres for the mentally ill or underprivileged.

Third, society as a whole must take on its role. Stigma and abandonment tend to drive people deeper into isolation. Family and community cultures of caring, compassion, and responsibility can significantly limit the risks. The cost of inaction is too much for human dignity to bear. Every missing person is followed by bereaved families who shift constantly between hope and despair. This must be understood as a silent crisis and addressed with urgency and purpose. 

The government has a compelling obligation to pre-empt and prevent injury to its most vulnerable citizens who are least capable of defending themselves. Inaction will lead to a continuation, and even exacerbation, of the missing problem, leaving many families to an agonising and prolonged period of uncertainty as they always keep on worrying about the whereabouts and fate of their relatives. This inaction would bring about tremendous emotional anguish to family members.