In a chilling revelation, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav disclosed in the state assembly that 23,129 women and girls remain missing across the state as of June 30, 2025, with 21,175 women and 1,954 girls untraced for over a year. The alarming data, presented in response to Congress MLA and former Home Minister Bala Bachchan’s pointed queries, underscores a deepening crisis of women’s safety. Bachchan demanded district-wise details on missing females, updates on rape and sexual assault cases from January 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, and a timeline for apprehending suspects still at large.

The government’s records paint a grim picture: 1,505 accused linked to crimes against women and girls remain on the run. This includes 292 men accused of raping women and 283 accused of raping minors, totaling 575 rape suspects moving freely. Additionally, 443 individuals in sexual violence cases against women and 167 against girls—610 in total—have evaded arrest. Another 320 suspects tied to disappearances, including 76 linked to women and 254 to girls, remain untraced. Bachchan also pressed for action against negligent officials, highlighting systemic failures.

Hotspots for missing women include Sagar (1,069 cases), Jabalpur (946), Indore (788), Bhopal (rural) (688), Chhatarpur (669), Rewa (653), Dhar (637), and Gwalior (617), each reporting over 500 cases. The data reveals a stark gap between the state’s claims of prioritizing women’s safety—through schemes like Ladli Behna Yojna—and reality. Critics, including Bachchan, argue that underreporting is rampant, with only 724 of 31,000 missing women and girls cases registered from 2021 to 2024, per earlier assembly data.

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The opposition has slammed the BJP-led government, with Congress leaders like Jitu Patwari calling Madhya Pradesh a “rape capital” due to rising sexual violence, particularly against tribal women. The state reported 7,294 rape cases in 2024 alone, a 19% increase from 2020, with low conviction rates—only 23% for Scheduled Castes and 22% for Scheduled Tribes. The failure to apprehend suspects and register cases, especially in districts like Ujjain (676 missing women, zero registered), fuels public outrage and demands for urgent reform.

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