656 children went missing in Patna last year : Bihar govt

Over 650 children went missing from the Bihar capital last year following which the state government has decided to take prompt action.
Minister in-charge for Home, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, informed the Assembly that 656 children went missing from Patna last year of whom 443 were found.
In reply to a short notice question of BJP's Nand Kishore Yadav, the minister said a nodal officer has been deputed in all the police stations to act swiftly as soon as they receive information about children going missing.
A special campaign would also be launched, he said.
The minister said various reasons, including children running away from homes after being scolded for studies and other purposes, have come to light in this connection, the minister said.

Many among those who were missing were grown up children and capable of raising an alarm if they were forcibly taken away which shows that many of them are disappearing for personal reasons, he said.
On repeatedly being asked whether missing of the children was linked to human trafficking and if so what special measures were taken in this regard, the minister said it was a serious issue and the government was taking steps to curb the problem.
The process to trace the missing children would be expedited, he said.