An editorial in the Rising Kashmir highlights a need for closer introspection on the issue of growing child abductions. “We as a society need to contribute towards corrective measures and not simply wait for the state apparatus to respond.”
Child abduction: It is a pointer to the deeper social problem
Srinagar: The incident of a minor being abducted in downtown Srinagar, has raised some very disturbing questions. It is a fresh tragedy that has struck the people of Kashmir. What happened at Habba Kadel in the broad day light is not the first incident of its kind. We have been witnessing it from sometime.
Recently in one of the posh localities of uptown Srinagar, a minor girl was saved by the nearby shopkeeper from being abducted by some unknown persons when she started crying while being forced to sit in an auto rikshaw. It is a serious social problem that calls for immediate attention.
It is very painful to learn that police didn’t take the matter seriously when an FIR was registered at the concerned police station after the case of abduction at Habba Kadal, as the relatives of the abducted minor accused. Imagine the family of a minor who has been abducted. It completely devastates the life of that family.In many ways, having a child abducted and not ever knowing his or her true fate, is worse than the child’s actual death. In this state the psychological trauma that the parents go through is simply indescribable.
Habba Kadal incident should shake us up as a people. The minor Mehran Lateef was abducted from his home after coming from school. With locals accusing the police of showing lackadaisical attitude the matter turns from bad to worse. If police doesn’t gear up itself to meet the challenge people will be left with no other alternative than to pour into streets and express their anger.
To avoid such painful incidents from happening we need to dig out the very source of this problem. Such problems are always related with the overall status of society. Since from past many years different kinds of unwanted elements have crept into our society, it is in the form of different criminal activities that these elements later express themselves.
To identify such elements and crush them down, we as a society need to contribute towards the corrective measures. Since the state apparatus are too busy with a peculiar kind of political action, it is not a realistic approach to leave such matters exclusively to them. Although public pressure needs to be mounted on the concerned authorities to perform their duties, people need to mobilize and activate other social institution to meet the crisis.