Karnataka forms district-level task force to trace missing children, curb trafficking
Bengaluru: In a much-needed move to address the growing concern over child trafficking and missing children cases, the Karnataka government has constituted district-level special task forces (STFs) to trace and rescue missing and abducted children across the state.
The state has been witnessing numerous such cases, many of which remain unresolved, posing a serious violation of children's rights. The initiative is aimed at ensuring a coordinated and accountable approach to protect vulnerable children, as reported by The New Indian Express on Wednesday.
District police heads will chair the task force, which will include ten members from various departments. The District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) will serve as the member secretary.
The task forces are mandated to meet monthly to review the progress of investigations into missing and abducted children. DCPOs are required to submit mandatory reports to the Directorate of Child Protection by the end of every month, added TNIE.
The task force will summon parents of missing children during review meetings to collect any additional information that may aid investigations. It will also offer counselling, moral support, and psychological assistance to affected families.
A senior official quoted by TNIE stated that all missing cases involving children under 18 are registered as kidnapping cases. In Bengaluru alone, 800 to 1,000 cases of missing children are reported annually.
The task force will also launch and monitor special district-level campaigns in coordination with other departments to trace long-pending cases. They are also responsible for conducting awareness programmes involving self-help groups and local communities.
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Bangladesh court sentences Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in corruption cases
Dhaka (PTI): A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in two separate corruption cases related to alleged irregularities in allocations of land in a government housing project.
Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4 Judge Rabiul Alam handed down the verdicts, sentencing Hasina to a total of 10 years’ imprisonment — five years in each case, state-run BSS news agency reported.
The court sentenced 78-year-old Hasina, her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and her nieces, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and others in the cases over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol.
The judgment was pronounced at around 12.30 pm.
Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment — two years in each case — while Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq were each sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in both cases.
Rajuk member Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the only accused to surrender before the court, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment in each case, totalling two years.
The court also fined all convicted persons Tk1 lakh each and ordered them to serve an additional six months in prison in default of payment.
Hasina has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the face of the massive protests. She was earlier declared a fugitive by the court.
The cases were filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over alleged abuse of power in the allocation of two 10-katha plots.
According to the prosecution, the accused manipulated the allocation process and violated existing rules and regulations of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
