Our story begins with a mother's plea, Sreeparna Gupta, whose husband, Vipin Gupta, has been missing for the last eight days in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The pain we feel as mothers is universal. Today, we share this story and walk this path with Sreeparna, who, as a mother of a five-month-old and an eight-year-old girl, is courageously carrying on this fight alone.

Vipin's bike was last sighted near Motherhood Hospital. The police were promptly alerted (raising hope in the heart of his aching wife), but they have yet to request CCTV footage from the hospital despite repeated pleas. Instead, unfounded rumours are being disseminated by the authorities, claiming that Vipin fled willingly and will not be returning. This not only taints Vipin's name with baseless speculations but adds to Sreeparna's anguish.

Sadly, the indifference towards missing persons is not unique to Vipin's case. It’s a distressing fact that in the year 2018, 50,000 adults were estimated missing in India, nearly 15,000 of them from Karnataka (source: The Hindu). These are not just numbers, these are people, each with their own story and families who await them.

As members of this shared human community, we must remind the local authorities of Bengaluru, our police, of the importance of their duties to seek justice, support victims, and ensure that every citizen is protected, not dismissed based on prejudice or barefaced apathy. Their commitment should extend to all cases, irrespective of the alleged circumstances.

Join us in solidarity with Sreeparna, calling on Bengaluru, Karnataka Police authorities to quicken the search for Vipin Gupta, to take this investigation seriously, and to hold themselves accountable. This is for Vipin. This is for Sreeparna and her daughters. This is for every missing person whose case has been ignored or unjustly brushed aside. Please sign this petition.