Nearly 28,000 people went missing in NE states

Nearly 28,000 people, including children and women, went missing from the eight northeastern states during 2015-17, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

Of the total of 27,967 people reported missing, a highest of 19,344 were from Assam, 4,455 from Tripura, 1,385 from Meghalaya, 999 from Manipur, 974 from Sikkim, 457 from Arunachal Pradesh, 343 from Nagaland and 10 from Mizoram, according to a written reply given by minister of state for home affairs G Kishan Reddy.

"Details for the years 2018 and 2019 are not yet available," he said.

In Assam, a total of 2,169 children, 2,613 women and 1,528 men were reported missing in 2015. In 2016, 2,413 children, 3,439 women and 2,130 men were reported missing.

Whereas in 2017, 1,651 children, 2,453 women and 948 were reported missing, the minister said.

In Tripura, 166 children, 933 women and 642 men were reported missing in 2017 as against 197 children, 814 women and 540 men. In 2015, 179 children, 583 women and 401 men were reported missing.

In Meghalaya, 148 children, 136 women and 160 men were missing in 2017. A total of 184 children, 159 women and 155 men were reported missing in 2016 as against 179 children, 138 women and 126 men during 2015.

As many as 97 children, 131 women and 109 men were reported missing from Manipur in 2017 as against 186 children, 154 women and 154 men during 2016. In 2015, 70 children, 46 women and 52 men went missing, according to the data.

In Sikkim, 88 children, 225 women and 156 men were reported missing during 2017. In 2016, 150 children, 66 women and 37 men were missing in the state as against 119 children, 77 women and 56 men during 2015.

Giving details of Arunachal Pradesh, the government said, 74 children, 112 women and eight men were reported missing in 2017 as against 61 children, 34 women and 13 men in 2016.

During 2015, 105 children, 32 women and 18 men were missing from the state.

In Nagaland, 103 children, 40 women and 22 men were reported missing during 2017. A total of 77 children, 20 women and 19 men were missing from the state during 2016 as against 34 children, 17 women and 11 men in 2015.

Only one child was reported missing from Mizoram in 2017. There was no missing person reported from the state in 2016. While in 2015, three children, one women and five men were reported missing in the state.

In separate data, the minister gave details of missing children traced from these eight northeastern states.

A total of 5,130 children were traced during 2015-17.

Of them, 3,376 children traced were from Assam, 472 from Tripura, 377 from Meghalaya, 277 from Manipur, 269 from Sikkim, 192 from Nagaland, 163 from Arunachal Pradesh and four from Mizoram.