DGP’s Sensational Comments On Minor Girls, Parents

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police N Sambasiva Rao minced no words when he squarely blamed parents for increasing instances of minor girls running away from home.

Addressing the media along with AP Women's Commission chairperson N Rajakumari here on Friday, he said children are getting access to cell phones and social media sites and their activities are not being restricted by the parents. Giving details about the successful closure of sensational Likitha kidnap case, the DGP said the girl was traced to Samba Sector in Jammu and Kashmir. "The Likitha case is not a standalone issue but there are 16 other instances of minor girls running away from home in Bapatla (Guntur) Division. 13 of those cases have been solved by the police," he said. In several of these instances the primary cause of the children leaving their homes is easy and unrestricted access to cell phones and social media, he said. "Isn't it the responsibility of parents to check what content the children are viewing on social media such as WhatsApp, YouTube and Facebook? What is the impact that media is having on the young minds?" the police chief questioned the parents.

The DGP blamed unrestricted access to social media such as Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp for the adverse behaviour of children. He called on the parents to supervise and restrict the usage of cell phones among the children.

"There are only 50,000 police personnel for a population of 5 crores, yet any type of case can be solved by the police. An apt example is the Likitha kidnap case where the police spent over Rs 20 lakh for investigations over a period of three months to trace the minor girl," DGP Sambasiva Rao said. Money is not the issue but the changes in the behaviour of the children is a cause for concern, he added.

The Likitha Case: A native of Bhattiprolu village in Guntur district, Likitha (13) ran away from home about three months ago. Preliminary investigations revealed that auto driver Nageshwara Rao (45) kidnapped the girl. Parents of the girl approached the state Women's Commission to help trace their daughter. Police formed special teams to trace the girl. Since the investigative teams had an officer of the Kashmir cadre, they were able to contact the police in Jammu and ensure her safe return home, the DGP said.

On Friday Likitha was handed over to her parents in the presence of the media and AP Women's Commission chairperson.