Amidst a flurry of mixed responses and a heated political blame game, the movie “The Kerala Story” has found itself embroiled in controversies. The film’s teaser and trailer claim that approximately 32,000 women have been converted to Islam and joined the ISIS, sparking intense arguments and casting doubt on the accuracy of the facts upon which the movie is based.
The internet has been abuzz with discussions about “The Kerala Story,” with numerous news reports and Twitter users quoting data from the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB). These reports assert that nearly 40,000 women have gone missing in Gujarat over a span of five years, causing the information to quickly go viral. The NCRB report gained prominence following the buzz around “The Kerala Story.”
In response to these claims, the Gujarat Police took to Twitter to clarify the situation. They stated, “There are media reports citing data sources of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), New Delhi, that 40,000 women have gone missing in Gujarat in five years. However, according to the data published in Crime in India-2020, released by the NCRB, out of the 41,621 women reported missing during the period 2016-2020, 39,497 (94.90%) have been traced by Gujarat Police and reunited with their families. This information is also included in Crime in India, 2020.”
The Gujarat Police emphasized that investigations into missing person cases have revealed that women typically go missing due to family disputes, elopement, or educational failures. They further clarified that there is no evidence of trafficking for sexual exploitation or organ trafficking in these cases. The local police adhere to the guidelines set forth by the Supreme Court of India when conducting investigations into missing person cases. The data collected during these investigations is shared on a dedicated website, allowing coordination with other state police units at the national level.
The Gujarat Police’s response, supported by data from the NCRB, suggests that the reported number of missing women in Gujarat has been largely resolved, with the vast majority of them being successfully traced and reunited with their families.