Child abductions in Punjab

The police’s response

The Punjab police’s response in the matter of the surprisingly high number of child abductions in Punjab reported in the press left a little something to be desired. First of all, dismissing the quoted number (which is around 600) as too high since, according to the police, the real number is a couple of hundred different, borders on the irresponsible. Even some hundred abducted children are some hundred too many. Sadly Justice Saqib Nisar had to take suo motu action and arm-twist the police into an explanation. And the immediate clarification, as expected, is that things are not really so bad after all.

The government must take this issue far more seriously. Hundreds of children being kidnapped, as a matter of routine, is a very flammable situation. To make matters worse, there has not been so much as a sound out of the government regarding this matter. Naturally, increase in such crime gives rise to unnecessary chatter, creating more fear in society. More often than not, a number of subsequent gangs spring up to add to the chaos. According to the press, some less experienced kidnappers have been caught by the people on occasion, who initially refused to hand them to the police – because of lack of trust – and called for the Rangers instead.

The police department must be told in no uncertain terms that playing down this problem is not going to be the way out of this mess. The department will have to pull its socks up and start delivering. Already public confidence in the police, never too high, is at an unusual low. The law enforcement agency seems deteriorating at its basic job by the year. And the government, too, must at least pretend as if it cares. Soon it will be election time again and people tend not to forget official inaction, especially when it involves their children. Abductions of children are unacceptable and unforgivable. The government bears the responsibility of doing something about it.