i.The Alchemy of Categorization: From Enforced Disappearance toAdministrative AbsenceThe Indian state’s strategic shift from documenting “enforceddisappearances” (a crime against humanity under international law) to“missing persons” (an administrative category implying voluntary absence orcriminal victimhood) represents a masterclass in bureaucratic violence.The Rajya Sabha data—7,151 “missing” in 2023 alone, with 4,190 remaininguntraced—obscures a deliberate epistemic operation. By reframing...
