21 year old Anoop, a trainee in a military camp in Bangalore, went missing from the tight security encampment on 3rd September this year. Two months to this incident, the police and the military intelligence are still clueless as to his whereabouts. When investigations began, the military camp authorities had said that Anoop had run away from the camp. But Anoop’s parents, his friends and a few in the camp who were close to him, find this news hard to swallow.

Dissatisfied by the defense’s proceedings in finding her son, Sathyadevi Amma seeks the help of the media court to unearth the hidden and obtain audience support for the cause.

As his mother and his dear ones told us, Anoop was very fond of the Indian Army, the Defender of the Nation. Becoming an Army official was his greatest dream. He attended every Military Recruitment Rally held at the Pangode Military Camp in Thiruvananthapuram with the hope of getting selected. He didn’t make it the first time, failed in the second try but persevered and finally, on his fifth attempt on 27 November, 2010, he attained his greatest ambition.

On 24 March, 2011, he was sent to the Bangalore training camp and was attached to the Madras Engineering group of the TBI Battalion B Company. From the 56 member battalion, he was chosen and appointed to the clerical post. Five months later, on 3rd September, 2011, Anoop’s parents were informed that their son was missing from the training camp.

Two months have passed since he disappeared; there is still no trace of him, no information regarding his present location. Police and the military authorities are totally clueless as to his whereabouts.

When investigations began, the military camp authorities had said that Anoop had run away from the camp. But Anoop’s parents, his friends and a few in the camp who were close to him, find this news hard to swallow. On the night prior to his disappearance, Anoop had called his mother and according to her, there was nothing unusual about his conversation.

There were only four days remaining for Anoop to complete his training. As his fellow cadets informed Anoop’s family members, it was Anoop who would console and advice them whenever they spoke of leaving the harsh training half-way. So, under no pressure could he leave the camp, that too at a point when his goal was at his hand’s reach.

Anoop’s parents came to know of his missing from an informal phone call delivering no details but just a confusion. Worried, his brother-in-law, his uncle and his friend went to enquire at the Bangalore base camp. What they experienced there set them on a deeper concern. The authority’s response to the enquiries was too casual. Letters to probe an investigation were only being typed. In fact on the first place itself, the camp authorities hadn’t performed their responsibility of formally informing Anoop’s parents about his being missing from the camp.

Later, following continuous queries from Anoop’s family, a missing report was filed with the Military Intelligence and the Karnataka Police. The progress of the investigation though, is unsatisfactory. Both the Paravoor Police and Kerala Police during their probe have felt that there were suspicious circumstances behind the incident.

Anoop’s bag, his ATM card and his mobile, are left behind in the camp itself. Anoop’s senior official for some reason had asked him to surrender his phone (given by the same official for office use) and ATM card. Anoop had told his mother that he was given Rs 3000 from his remuneration and that at the end of his training, the rest of the remuneration amounting to around a lakh will be given to him. When a bank statement of his ATM was taken, it indicated that the Rs 3000, his only savings, had not been withdrawn. That is to say, Anoop was penniless from the time he went missing.

On October 28th, Anoop’s parents received a phone call enquiring about Anoop and the progress of the investigation. This person introduced himself as a retired official from the same camp who had been assigned to follow-up the case from Kerala. The phone call was found out to have been made from Wayanad. With the help of police, Anoop’s family members traced and reached to the address in which the registration of the number had been made. Here too, a lot seemed suspicious. From all these, it is clear that there is something really fishy behind Anoop’s disappearance.