Amravati child welfare panel asks police to produce minor survivors within 24 hours

Nagpur: The Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Amravati district, on Friday directed Amravati police to produce minor survivors in the sensational Paratwada sexual abuse case within 24 hours, but authorities are yet to trace or establish contact with any survivor even on the second day of the outreach.A joint team of the district child protection unit and women police officials visited Paratwada again on Friday, but no survivor came forward fearing social taboo. CWC, citing provisions of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, reiterated that any minor in need of care and protection must be presented before it within 24 hours.CWC officials said teams visited Paratwada and interacted locally, but "minors are not coming forward and they cannot be forced". The exact number of minors is still unconfirmed, though officials suspect only two of the eight identified survivors are below 18 years of age, they told TOI.District child protection officer Ajay Dable said attempts to contact individuals failed as all phone numbers were switched off. "None of the identified victims has come forward so far despite continuous efforts. We are also trying to reach them through community networks," he said.Dable added joint teams are trying to find addresses of these victims to pay a home visit and personally convince them to file a case or record their statements. "Police filed an FIR on its own. But the survivor's statement is a must to make the case strong," he said. A senior police officer admitted the challenge, stating though victims have been identified, "no one has come to give a complaint yet. Without their presence, it is difficult to produce anyone before the CWC."Authorities said efforts are ongoing, including coordination with social groups, but the lack of cooperation from victims remains a major hurdle in proceeding with the case.