Operation Milap: Humanitarian campaign to reunite separated people with their loved ones, the light of happiness returned in the tears of families.

If a son, daughter, sister, brother or parent of a family suddenly goes missing, then only those who have felt this pain closely can imagine what that family goes through. Missing is not just a person going away from home, but it is the loss of happiness, hopes and mental peace of the entire family. The worry of the family members increases with each passing day. The sound of every door gives them hope that maybe their loved one has returned. Every phone call surprises them. In such a situation, when a person who has been separated for years or months suddenly meets his family, that moment is no less than a miracle.

“Operation Milap” conducted by Gujarat Police has emerged as an excellent example of this human sensitivity. Under this special campaign, 1470 missing persons were found and reunited with their families in just one month. This is not just an administrative achievement, but a campaign to bring hope, faith and happiness back into the lives of thousands of broken families.

In this operation, 852 women, 342 men and 276 minor children and adolescent girls were searched and brought to their families. Of particular importance is the fact that large numbers of adolescent girls and women were separated from their families. In such cases, the worry of families increases manifold with time. The fear of some untoward incident keeps haunting them every moment. In such a situation, it is definitely a commendable task for the police to find these people safely.

Gujarat Police did not limit itself to just formal investigation, but also reopened old and pending cases and conducted a fresh investigation. Various means like modern technology, mobile phone analysis, monitoring of social media activities, coordination with police of different states, checking of public transport centers and shelter homes were used. New clues were gathered by re-contacting the complainants and witnesses. This shows that if there is willpower and sensitivity, positive results can be achieved even in years old cases.

Surat Police locating the highest number of 341 missing persons is also a testament to how dedicated efforts at the local level can yield huge results. This activism of the police and administration has become a cause of relief for those families who were counting the days waiting for their loved ones for years.

Another important aspect of this campaign is that it has also revealed the real reasons for missing people to the society. Police analysis revealed that many teenage girls in the age group of 14 to 17 years had left home due to circumstances like love affairs, family disputes, scolding from parents or failure in studies. Some cases were also found to be related to families migrating in search of employment.

There is a serious social message hidden here. It is natural to have difficulties, failures, family differences or emotional conflicts in life. During adolescence, emotions are more sensitive and sometimes even small incidents seem big. But leaving home is not the solution to any problem. This decision may be taken in the heat of the moment, but its consequences are very serious.

Many times children and teenagers feel that their departure will not make any difference to the family or that everything will become normal after a few days. The reality is exactly the opposite. The day a child or teenager goes missing from home, the parents lose peace and sleep. Mother’s eyes remain fixed on the door. The father tries to appear strong on the outside, but is broken on the inside. Brothers and sisters live amidst worry and insecurity. The entire family searches every possible place, makes rounds of police stations and lives in the darkness of uncertainty.

The pain of missing is not only emotional, but also affects families socially and economically. Many families even spend their savings. Many people leave their work and start searching for their loved ones. Health related problems also start arising due to mental stress. Therefore, leaving home under any circumstances is neither wise nor a solution to the problems.

What is needed today is to strengthen communication between families and children. Parents should understand the feelings of children and children should trust their parents. If there has been failure in studies, scolded for something or any problem in life, then its solution can be found through conversation. Family is the place where a person gets the most security, love and support.

The success of Operation Milaap cannot be measured in numbers alone. Its real success is visible in the thousands of smiles that have returned after separation. Seen in the eyes of mothers who hugged their children years later. It is visible in the happiness of those families whose hopes had almost ended.

This campaign also proves that the police is not just an institution that maintains law and order, but is also a sensitive system that participates in the sorrows and pain of the society. When the police return a missing person to his family, they not only close a case but also reunite a broken family.

Operation Milap has given new life to thousands of families. This campaign is an excellent example of humanity, sensitivity and social responsibility. At the same time, it also gives a message to all of us that going away from home and family is not the solution in any difficult situation of life. Communication, patience and trust are the strongest answers to every problem. If this message reaches every child and adolescent of the society, then perhaps in future many families will be saved from the pain of missing, which is not possible to express completely in words.

*Kantilal Mandot*