SRINAGAR (Kashmir English): Srinagar-based English daily, The Kashmir Observer, has highlighted a serious accountability failure of the occupation regime over missing women and girls in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in an editorial published on October 26, the newspaper cited official figures to say that 16,397 women and girls were reported missing since 2019.
Of these, 4,271 remain untraced, raising serious concerns about their safety.
The figures were obtained by The Tribune through a Right to Information (RTI) application.
Authorities have traced 12,126 women and girls. However, more than 26 per cent of cases remain unresolved.
Over 1,000 minor Kashmiri girls untraced
The editorial highlighted particularly alarming figures concerning missing minor girls. Of 1,804 girls reported missing between 2019 and August 2026, authorities traced only 788. The remaining 1,016 cases remain unresolved.
The figures for adult women are also concerning. Of 14,593 women reported missing between 2019 and June 2026, 3,255 remain untraced.
The annual figures indicate that the problem has persisted for years. Missing adult women cases rose from 1,388 in 2019 to 2,242 in 2023. The number reached 2,595 in 2025, with 493 women still untraced from that year’s cases.
Missing cases continue to rise
The number of missing minor girls also increased over the period. Cases rose from 150 in 2019 to 261 in 2023.
The figure reached 289 in 2025, the highest annual total in the period reviewed.
By August 2026, another 286 girls had been reported missing. Of these, 158 remained untraced, according to the editorial.
The Kashmir Observer said the figures do not establish why women and girls disappeared. However, they highlight the scale of unresolved cases and demand greater public accountability.
The editorial noted that the occupied territory’s Home Department had failed to provide district-wise details. This prevents the public from assessing where cases are concentrated. It also limits comparisons of local authorities’ responses.
It further cited Crime Records Bureau figures for 2024. These recorded 1,202 cases involving the kidnapping, abduction or inducement of women to compel marriage under Section 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The editorial treated these as a separate category.
The newspaper called for district-wise data and greater transparency. It urged authorities to explain investigative efforts in unresolved cases. It also stressed the need for effective measures to locate missing minors.
