New Delhi: Official figures presented in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly have revealed that an average of nearly 130 women and girls have gone missing every day in the state over the past six years. The data was shared in response to a query raised by Congress MLA Vikrant Bhuria.
In a written reply, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav confirmed that between 2020 and January 28, 2026, a total of 2,74,311 women and girls were reported missing across Madhya Pradesh. The figures translate to roughly 45,000 cases annually and about 3,700 each month during this period.
According to the government, 2,35,977 individuals have been traced so far. However, 68,334 women and girls remain unaccounted for, leaving thousands of families awaiting answers. The yearly data shows little sign of a sustained decline. More than 30,000 cases were recorded in 2020, rising to over 39,000 in 2021. The figure again crossed 40,000 in 2023. In 2025 alone, more than 31,000 cases were registered, while over 1,000 disappearances were reported in the opening weeks of 2026.
Urban centres such as Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Ujjain continue to report high numbers. Several tribal and border districts have also shown significant gaps between reported and traced cases, prompting concerns about trafficking, forced marriages and other forms of exploitation, along with possible weaknesses in tracking systems.
Bhuria described the situation as a humanitarian crisis and called for greater accountability and transparency. He argued that the scale of untraced cases points to deeper structural challenges rather than routine law and order issues.
While authorities cited ongoing rescue and recovery efforts, no new time bound plan to address the backlog of pending cases was announced in the Assembly. The data has intensified debate over the need for stronger monitoring mechanisms and coordinated intervention to tackle the persistent trend.
