Some 26 girls are reported missing from a children’s home in Bhopal which was allegedly operating without permission. Former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has urged the state government for action in the case.

“The case of the disappearance of 26 girls from a children’s home operating without permission in Parwalia police station area of Bhopal has come to my notice,” Mr Chouhan said in a post on X.

“Considering the seriousness and sensitivity of the matter, I urge the government to take cognizance and take immediate action,” he added.

When the team of Child Protection Commission reached the Anchal Girls Hostel, which is some 20 km from Bhopal, it found that the NGO was rescuing children and keeping them in the illegal children’s home.

“It has been in operation for about 4-5 years. Although no one is allowed to come inside, the girls were sometimes taken to the market. Often 2-3 vehicles used to come here at midnight and then return again at 2-3 in the night. Madam used to do the work of bringing the girls to the market and to school ,” said Pawan, a local.

It is also alleged that girls were forced to practice Christian rituals at the hostel. Documents show that there are 68 registered children at the center, however only 41 girls have been found. The girls are from Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand.

National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chief Priyank Kanoongo has written to the Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary,  Veera Rana, and sought a report within seven days.

An FIR has been registered at Parwaliya Sadak Police Station in Bhopal under sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

“We are investigating the crime, action will be taken accordingly. Crime has been registered under the Juvenile Justice Act. Further action will be taken according to the norms,” said Manju Tiwari, Sub Divisional Police Officer.

The FIR further says that the children’s home was not being run under the Juvenile Justice Act and was unregistered.

“There are many SC/ST children, most of whom are Hindus and three are Muslim girls who were being made to practice Christianity. If we had information about these children, we could have got them scholarships. Many such children are missing for whom it is being said that they have gone to their parents. There is no photograph or document of where the parents have gone with them. How children from Vidisha, Balaghat, Sehore, Jharkhand, Gujarat got to this Bhopal center is the the big question,” said Nivedita Sharma, member, Child Commission Madhya Pradesh.

The Congress has slammed the state government over the disappearance of girls.

“When there is a BJP government, such illegal child protection homes emerge rapidly, there is religious conversion and a disgusting game of human trafficking and immoral activities abound. The number of slaughterhouses also increases under the BJP rule. Politics is done by the BJP in the name of religion and such activities take place only during their rule. It’s embarrassing,” said Sajjan Singh Verma, former minister, Congress.

Defending the government, the BJP spokesperson said that the matter is being investigated.

“Such a case has come to notice. The government has taken immediate action and this is being investigated. Whenever such an incident occurs in Madhya Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party government will take immediate action on it. There is no place for such acts in the society. Congress too, when such an incident happens, should leave politics and join hands with the state government,” said BJP spokesperson Shivam Shukla.

Marvel’s upcoming series, Echo, is generating excitement among fans. Created by Marion Dayre, the show follows Maya Lopez as she returns to her Choctaw Nation roots in Oklahoma after her introduction in the 2021 hit, Hawkeye. Directed by Sydney Freeland and Catriona McKenzie, the series delves into Maya’s standalone narrative of power and revenge. Alaqua Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio reprise their roles as Maya Lopez and Kingpin, adding to the anticipation. Now, D’Onofrio has confirmed that he will also be a part of Daredevil: Born Again.

During an interview, the actor shared that he has had a lot of fun playing Kingpin in Echo and Daredevil: Born Again. Opening up about his co-star Charlie Cox, D’Onofrio said, “We see each other so often. If we are not traveling during press, then we are working together on the show. Over the time we have become really good friends. We think alike in terms of our dedication and commitment to our parts and the writing. Just the whole commitment to the situation we are with in Marvel, we are very similar in our approach to our job. It has evolved into a great relationship.”

Boasting a stellar cast that includes Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Zahn McClarnon, Cody Lightning, and Graham Greene, the series guarantees an action-packed narrative deeply rooted in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Executive producers Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Victoria Alonso, Richie Palmer, Jason Gavin, Marion Dayre, and Sydney Freeland lead the series, supported by co-executive producers Jennifer L. Booth and Amy Rardin. Together, they ensure a culturally rich and compelling storytelling experience.

Marvel Studios’ Echo will premiere on January 10, 2024.

See Also: Echo director Sydney Freeland on Maya Lopez: “She’s not a generic Native American character…” 

A fresh set of satellite images, less than a month old, indicate the staggering pace at which China continues to illegally carve into northeast Bhutan by constructing townships along a river valley in Beyul Khenpajong, a region with deep cultural significance.

Bhutan, a nation with a population of less than 8 lakh – just one-fourth that of India’s National Capital Region – can do little, but to watch China continue to salami-slice into its northern, western and southwestern periphery, a pattern of illegal land grabs evident across the Himalayan frontier.

“This case represents China making a very recent, doubtful claim about an area that is of great cultural significance to a far less powerful neighbour, knowing that the neighbour has few if any options as to its response,” says professor Robert Barnett, an expert on Tibetan history at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London.

Beijing’s construction activity comes despite ongoing border talks with Bhutan, and the extent of the construction here and in the nearby Jakarlung region clearly indicates that Beijing may be too far down the road to contemplate any withdrawal from these areas.

Responding to queries on China’s construction activity in Beyul Khenpajong, Bhutan’s Ambassador to India Major General Vetsop Namgyel (retired) said, “While it is our policy not to give comments to the media on the ongoing border talks, I would like to state that we will always uphold and safeguard Bhutan’s territorial interests during the boundary negotiations.”

Satellite imagery experts NDTV has spoken to describe images of the construction activity published here as “large format settlements capable of housing hundreds.” NDTV has counted more than 200 single- and multi-storey structures, though it is believed the final number will be significantly larger since construction of three enclaves visible here is still not complete.

Earlier images from November 2020, published here as a point of reference, show that large-scale construction activity in the region had not begun then. Since November 2020, the Beyul Khenpajong has been entirely transformed, and valleys and hillsides carved into, in order to accommodate a significant road network linking the enclaves.

In a recent piece published by Chatham House, John Pollock and Damien Symon, a leading geo-intelligence researcher, explained the significance of the Beyul, or hidden valley. “The royal family traces its ancestral heritage to the mountainous region, yet the government has been powerless to stop Chinese settlement there.”

China’s occupation of parts of Bhutan also has profound security implications for India. In 2017, Indian and Chinese soldiers faced off in the high-altitude Doklam plateau, adjacent to Sikkim. Indian soldiers physically prevented Chinese soldiers from extending a road that they had constructed in the area, which is internationally recognised as Bhutanese territory.

Since then, Chinese workers have carved into Bhutanese territory to build three villages along the Amu Chu river valley, which lies to the east and directly adjacent to Doklam. New Delhi sees China’s land grab in Bhutan to be a part of a process to extend its presence south in order to threaten the Siliguri corridor, the narrow strip of land that connects the northeast with the rest of India.

“Chinese construction activity violating Bhutanese territorial sovereignty could be aimed at undermining the Bhutan-India relationship and compelling Thimphu to accede to Chinese demands,” says Dr Brahma Chellaney, India’s foremost China-watcher.

India’s security concerns are, in fact, an added problem for Thimphu. “China has imposed a so-called package deal on Bhutan – it refuses to return Jakarlung and areas to its south and west unless Bhutan cede areas in western Bhutan to China, especially the Doklam plateau, which Bhutan cannot give up because of its treaty obligations, diplomatic ties and geostrategic priorities regarding India,” says Dr Barnett.

Under extreme pressure from China, Bhutan is keen to end incursions into its territory once and for all. In October last year, Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji travelled to Beijing, a first for Bhutan. That same month, Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said he was hopeful of a proper border being demarcated between China and Bhutan. Thimphu hasn’t made public statements on the progress of the talks, though it is believed that New Delhi has been kept in the loop on the newest developments.

India’s biggest concern, though, may be the future of Bhutan’s ties with China.

“Bhutan is slowly shifting in the strategic orbit of China and there is not much that India can do, except if a new security agreement is signed between New Delhi and Thimphu,” leading Tibetologist Claude Arpi told NDTV last month.

There are no signs of any move in that direction.