To submit report on use of children in anti-Posco agitation soon.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has urged the Orissa government to take immediate steps to withdraw police forces who have been given shelter in schools in the Posco project site area.
The commission also appealed to the state Chief Secretary B K Patnaik, secretary (women & child development) Arti Ahuja and the anti-Posco outfit Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) to take appropriate steps to ensure that children agitating at the Posco site are sent to schools soon.
“The commission will submit its report within seven days. The NCPCR will also issue a directive to the Orissa government to ensure children's welfare and safety. We had detailed discussions with the Chief Secretary on the issue of children being used as human shields in the land acquisition work against the Posco project. The use of kids at the forefront of the protest is unjustified and we have appealed to the Chief Secretary as well as PPSS to withdraw children from the agitation and send them to schools. We have also requested the Chief Secretary to withdraw police forces sheltered in schools meant for the education of children”, Yogesh Dube, member, NCPCR told mediapersons after meeting the state Chief Secretary.
“The commission is deeply concerned about the children who have been put in a dangerous situation by being a part of the stir against the Posco land acquisition. We interacted with the agitating children and they said that they are supporting their parents in the agitation. We also interacted with the district collector and the PPSS leader and appealed to them to withdraw the children from the agitation”, he added.
Dube alleged that various Centrally sponsored schemes meant for the children were not reaching the children in Orissa.
Responding to the comments of the commission, Patnaik said, “We have take note of the concern raised by the committee regarding the use of children as human shields in the agitation. The state government and the Jagatsinghpur district administration will send a team of officials to the site to take stock of the situation and take appropriate steps to ensure that children are sent back to schools soon. We will also request the members of the Child Welfare Committee to visit the site of agitation”.
On the issue of police occupying the schools, Patnaik said, “Police have occupied only a few rooms in some of the schools. We will make efforts to withdraw police from the schools.”
Ahuja said, “A time-frame will be worked out by the district administration to shift the police force, who are sheltered in schools, elsewhere”.
