Pawan Kalyan Alleges that Volunteers are Behind Missing Women in Andhra Pradesh

Janasena President Pawan Kalyan has alleged that the Volunteers system in Andhra Pradesh is being used for human trafficking. He claimed that about 17,000 to 18,000 women are missing in the state and that the information collected by the Volunteers is being used to target single women and widows.

Pawan Kalyan made these allegations during the second leg of his Vaarahi Vijaya Yatra, which started from Eluru. He said that the Volunteers mostly comprise the YSR Congress cadre appointed to get a grip on the voters and make them dependent on them for government welfare schemes. He also alleged that there is political interference in the Volunteers system.

The Volunteers system was introduced by the YSR Congress government in 2019. The Volunteers are supposed to help the government in various activities, such as distributing welfare schemes, providing information about government programs, and resolving local disputes. However, Pawan Kalyan and other opposition leaders have alleged that the Volunteers are being used for political purposes.

In May 2023, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released data that showed that Andhra Pradesh had the highest number of missing women in the country. The NCRB data showed 17,417 missing women in Andhra Pradesh in 2022.

The allegations made by Pawan Kalyan and the data released by the NCRB raise serious concerns about women's safety in Andhra Pradesh.