\The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Wednesday issued a notice to Twitter India, calling for action against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s handle for violating the POCSO Act by posting pictures of the parents of a 9-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in southwest Delhi’s Nangal.
For its part, the BJP appealed to the NCPCR to take strict action against Rahul under the POCSO Act and issuance of notice to him for revealing the minor and her family’s identity.
Rahul, who visited the parents of the minor Dalit girl, posted a photo that showed him comforting the girl’s parents. He wrote: “The parents’ tears ask for only one thing: their daughter, the country’s daughter, deserves justice. And I stand with them in this fight.”
“Revealing the identity of the girl by tweeting a photo of her parents (is) in violation of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act... The NCPCR, taking cognisance of this, has asked Twitter India to issue a notice to Rahul Gandhi and remove the post,” the NCPCR, the child rights body, tweeted.
Later, a notice signed by NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo stated that Rahul Gandhi, a former president of the Congress party, violated Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, which prohibits disclosure of the identity of children, and Section 23 of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act, which lays down procedure for the media to report sexual offences against children.
In its notice addressed to Twitter India’s Resident Grievance Officer, the NCPCR said it was acting on a complaint that the photo “reveals the identity of the girl” by showing her parents.
The NCPCR reminded Twitter India that under the Juvenile Justice Act and the POCSO Act it is illegal to disclose the identity of a minor via any form of media, or publish any information or photograph that may, in any way, reveal his/her identity.
Reacting to Rahul’s post, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, “His (Rahul Gandhi) tweet violates sec 23 of POCSO Act & sec 74 of Juvenile Justice Care & Protection of Children Act that prohibits revealing the minor’s identity.”
“He revealed identity of child’s family and is using the issue for his political agenda. I appeal to the NCPCR to take strict action under the POCSO Act and a notice must be issued to him. No one is a VIP. Rahul Gandhi must be answerable to this,” Patra said.