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NHRC urged to probe 'misuse' of children for 'yatra'

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI SEPT. 14. The National Human Rights Commission has been moved to order an inquiry into the alleged misuse of the State machinery in forcibly closing schools and mobilising children to line them along the route of the `gaurav rath yatra' of the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi.

Two lawyers, Ashok Agarwal and Aurobindo Ghose, have brought to the notice of the Commission the September 9 incident of school children being asked to wear saffron scarves and wave BJP flags and raise communal slogans to welcome Mr. Modi for "partisan political and electoral purposes". They said as per the reports, in Kalol about 300 girls from the local K.G.M. School waited for the Chief Minister in the sun, balancing pots on their heads. In Dhamasana village, boys from H.S. Patel High School were reported to have been asked to cheer and wave. The teachers had alleged that they were instructed by the local BJP leaders to bring school children and line up on the routes and wave flags.

The complainants said they were aghast and agonised at the blatant and brazen use of the State power to arbitrarily and unilaterally close schools and force out children and coerce them to join an openly partisan political event organised by the BJP. They maintained that depriving children of precious time meant for studies and play and exploiting them for political purposes was an affront to the fundamental right of children, Declaration of Rights of the Child and other conventions.

They urged the Commission to order an inquiry into the incidents and take appropriate action against the State administration, the BJP and the Chief Minister; further to direct the State Government to desist from abusing and misusing school children in any manner for political advantage to any political party and to ask the Gujarat Government to pay adequate compensation to the children for violation of their human rights.

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