Guwahati records over 120 missing elderly cases between 2019 & 2024

Guwahati, Jan 20: Guwahati unnoticeably is grappling with unsettling statistics vis-à-vis missing cases of elderly individuals, a trend that has gone largely unnoticed in recent years. Alarmingly, many senior citizens have also fallen victim to brutal murders, highlighting a critical gap in the city's safety net. But is this just a failure of law enforcement or a deeper reflection of the society's collective emotional intelligence and care for the elderly?

Between 2019 and 2024, missing reports of over 120 elderly persons were filed in 18 police stations in Guwahati's three police districts—East, West, and Central. Significantly, at least eight senior citizens were found murdered in the East police district alone during the same timeline. While police managed to trace many of the missing elderly, some remain traceless, apparently falling prey to a system that seems increasingly neglectful of their needs.

According to data accessed from police, at least 39 senior citizens went missing in the East police district since 2019. Disturbingly, during the same period, eight senior citizens were found murdered, including one victim who was tragically killed by his own ward, raising serious questions about the safety and security of the elderly population.

Similarly, the West police district reported at least 44 cases of missing elderly individuals during the same period, and the Central police district recorded 38 cases. While many missing persons were eventually traced and reunited with their families, the figures raise larger questions about the safety and well-being of the elderly population in the city.

"Are elderly citizens safe in Guwahati? I doubt if the administration is in possession of any data pertaining to the number of senior citizens living in Guwahati or, for that matter, in Assam," said Alakesh Pathak, a resident of Guwahati.

A city-based geriatric health care expert told The Assam Tribune, "Many elderly individuals suffer from post-retirement depression, loneliness, and lack of family support, which can lead to them wandering off or becoming disoriented. For some, the emotional strain of being neglected or forgotten by their families becomes too much to bear. Even in cases where the elderly are found alive, their mental and physical health often deteriorates rapidly."

An officer from the East police district, on condition of anonymity, said, "We trace most of the missing persons, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the real issue isn't about just finding them but ensuring that they are not abandoned in the first place."

"Elderly people often fall into a post-retirement vacuum—they lack purpose, feel neglected, and suffer from depression. We need a more comprehensive approach," he said, referring to a number of cases he has handled as an investigating officer.

A former bureaucrat opined that it is time the government creates a database or registry of senior citizens, which would allow the authorities to check in on them regularly, either through visits or wellness calls.

"This system could help identify vulnerable individuals who may need assistance or who could be at risk of harm," she said, adding that globally, countries like Japan, Sweden, and Canada have implemented successful models for elderly care.

She said that in India, although schemes like the National Policy on Older Persons (NPOP) exist, their implementation remains sporadic, with limited outreach at the local level.

"The question we need to ask ourselves as a society is whether we are willing to invest in the well-being of our elderly. It's not just about finding them when they go missing; it's about creating a system that prevents them from going missing in the first place," said Madhab Kalita, a retired government servant.

By-

Sanjoy Ray