New Delhi, July 20 — The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken cognisance of a complaint alleging that minor children were endangered during the "Chalo Sansad" protest held in the national capital and that a 12-year-old girl sustained a head injury during the demonstration.
A Bench presided over by Member Priyank Kanoongo has issued notices to the Secretary, Department of Social Welfare, Women and Child Development, Delhi government; the Secretary, Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and the Delhi Commissioner of Police, directing them to inquire into the allegations and submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) within two weeks.
The action has been initiated under Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, which empowers the apex human rights body to inquire into alleged violations of human rights. According to the complaint, minor children were exposed to danger during the protest on Monday, with reports claiming that a 12-year-old girl suffered a head injury.
The complainant sought the NHRC's intervention by requesting immediate rescue and medical treatment for the child, her production before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in accordance with law, identification of the person who brought the child to the protest, and appropriate action under the Juvenile Justice Act.
The complaint also sought initiation of proceedings if any authority had allegedly manhandled the child. Further, it alleged that information circulated on social media platform X by journalist Sourav Das may have been false or misleading, and urged the apex human rights body to direct appropriate legal action against him and the platform if the allegations were found to be correct.
After examining the complaint, the NHRC observed that the allegations, prima facie, appear to involve violations of the human rights of the child. Accordingly, the apex human rights body directed the concerned authorities to immediately rescue the child, ensure necessary medical treatment, and produce her before the Child Welfare Committee as required under law.
It further directed the authorities to identify the person who brought the child to the protest and take appropriate action under the Juvenile Justice Act.
The apex human rights body also ordered that if any authority was found to have manhandled the child, appropriate proceedings be initiated.
Additionally, the NHRC directed that if the information circulated on X by Sourav Das is found to be false or misleading, immediate legal action, including registration of an FIR, be taken against him and the social media platform, and a detailed Action Taken Report be submitted within two weeks.
Meanwhile, amid the controversy, Delhi Police issued a clarification on social media, describing as "false" claims circulating online that a 12-year-old girl suffered a head injury, and that 40 to 50 other people sustained head injuries during the protest.
"This information is false. The claims being circulated in the posts are not true. Please do not spread or amplify false or misleading information," the Delhi Police said in a fact-check post on X.