A team of Uttarakhand State Commission for Protection of Child Rights recently visited the Child reform centre at Kedarpuram. Taking cognizance of the newspaper reports of a juvenile offender consuming some chemical substance in the centre, a team consisting of members of commission, Shailendra Shekhar Kargeti and Ashish Uniyal and Under Secretary Shakti Prasad Semwal made the surprise visit of the facility.
The team informed that it found eight juvenile offenders present inside the centre at the time of the visit. The team was informed that the centre has nine offenders and one of them was in school. The team members talked to the children privately and on prodding they informed that one of the care takers, Balram used to beat them. The in-charge of the centre and District Probation Officer (DPO), Neena Bisht informed the team that the care taker has been suspended after the complaints of the inmates.
The team directed the DPO to ensure that the centre has required number of teachers for the inmates. The team members also suggested that the Juvenile offenders should be given training on craft and vocational
education. The DPO informed that the process of appointment for employing a music teacher and Physical Education Instructor is in progress. The
members of the commission asked the DPO to take measures to ensure that proper medical and educational facilities are made available to the inmates.