Anti-CAA Play: 85 School Kids Quizzed By Cops 5 Times In 9 Days, Child Rights Panel Wakes Up

The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has written a letter asking police to stop questioning the schoolchildren in connection with an anti-CAA play staged at the Shaheen Group school in Bidar last month.

In the letter written on Thursday, (KSCPCR) chairperson Father Antony Sebastian said that the Bidar police were violating child rights and creating an atmosphere of fear by sending police officers, some of whom are in uniform to question school children.

The Commission wrote to the Superintendent of Police (SP) and the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Bidar, the Chairman of the District Child Protection Unit based on the report of Commission member Dr. Jayashree, who had visited the school on Wednesday and had interacted with students, parents and school staff, the report of Bidar SP, media and social media reports.

The Commission has come down heavily on the police for questioning children in such a hurried manner, and has asked the investigating officer (IO) to ¡°stop inquiry of school children immediately.¡±

KSCPCR also criticized the police for placing a nine-year-old girl, whose mother Nazbunissa was arrested along with the school headmistress Fareeda Begum under sedition charges, in a neighbour¡¯s care.

¡°This is a clear violation of child rights. The Commission has taken a serious note of this. Who will be responsible if the child is affected mentally or physically? Handing over a child in a neighbour¡¯s care without obtaining the permission of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) is a violation of the Juvenile Justice Act. Separating the child from her mother and delaying court trial is also a violation of the law,¡± KSCCPCR stated in the letter, a copy of which has been marked to the Director-General & Inspector General of Police.

Till February 4, some 85 kids of Shaheen School were quizzed by the Bidar Police at five occasions in nine days in connection with the sedition case against the school for staging a play on January 21 which allegedly had ¡°derogatory remarks¡± made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BCCL

Under fire from various corners, the Karnataka Police now says the courts would take a call on whether it is fit to be charged under the sedition law. ¡°We booked the case based on the information received about the incident and in line with the Supreme Court order on filing FIRs. The Investigating Officer is gathering facts and evidence to submit a final report to the court. The court will take a call,¡± Nagesh DL, Superintendent of Police of Bidar told The Economic Times.