The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Tuesday took the department of Home to task for failing to deliver justice to the family members of Vidisha who had died under mysterious circumstances in her hostel at High-Q International Academy. Rakesh Kumar Rai, Vidisha’s father, was the complainant in the case.
The commission directed the officials to invoke different sections of Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act which defines different forms of sexual abuses. The Act also considers a sexual assault to be aggravated when committed by a person in a position of trust or authority vis-à-vis a child besides prescribing stringent punishment graded as per the gravity of the offence, with a maximum term of rigorous imprisonment for life and fine.
Vidisha, a class X student was found hanging in her hostel room in Bariatu Road on September 12. Following the incident, Vidisha’s parents had registered an FIR against school authorities alleging their involvement in the mysterious death. Interestingly, Home Secretary NN Pandey, who initially claimed that the authorities have not received post-mortem report, had to eat humble pie when the commission members flashed the post mortem report. The post-mortem report, which Pandey was unaware of, was delivered around a month back. Family members of Vidisha have even to objected the findings of the post-mortem report blaming police of influencing the case in the accused’s favour.
later, Pandey accepted the fault and assured the commission that he will look into the matter and will submit the report as demanded by the commission. Significantly, the NCPCR has instructed Ranchi Deputy Commissioner (DC) and the Home Secretary to conduct inquiries at their level and send separate reports to the commission as early as possible. Notably, the commission has also asked Ranchi DC to ensure compensation to the victim’s kin.
Meanwhile, Vidisha’s father welcomed the decision of the commission and vowed to continue his fight against the “institutional apathy”. Incidentally, the commission also expressed concern on the issue of child trafficking and termed the State to be the hub of human trade and called on different agencies to work together to curb this menace. The commission also took the stand that Right to Education (RTE) has the potential to address the issue. “Trafficking is an issue and if we implement the provisions of RTE we can address the issue effectively,” maintained Chairperson of NCPCR Kushal Singh.