India News | AIDWA Submits Memorandum to NHRC over Kanpur Shelter Home Case
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. AIDWA, the women's wing of the Communist Party of India (CPI), on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to rights body NHRC over the situation prevailing in the shelter home run by the UP government where 57 girls tested positive for COVID-19.
New Delhi, Jun 24 (PTI) AIDWA, the women's wing of the Communist Party of India (CPI), on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to rights body NHRC over the situation prevailing in the shelter home run by the UP government where 57 girls tested positive for COVID-19.
The All India Democratic Women's Association, in the memorandum, asked the National Human Rights Commission to take all steps to guarantee that no effort is spared to restore the girls to good health.
The National Human Rights Commission on Tuesday took suo motu cognisance of media reports that 57 minor girls tested positive for the novel coronavirus at a state-run children's shelter home in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
Five of the girls were pregnant and one HIV positive. The Kanpur district administration on Sunday had clarified that the girls were pregnant at the time they came to the shelter home.
Noting that all that is needed must be done to make the State Rescue Home a safe and congenial shelter, the AIDWA said prima facie, the present administration and the district probation officer cannot be absolved of charges of dereliction of duty if not worse. Remedial action must be taken.
"We hope that you will do all that is needed to see that the very unfortunate inmates of this Rescue Home are rendered justice and that their right to health, education and a safe environment are ensured," it said.
The women's group said their members met Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Kumar, IPS, and also gave him a memorandum demanding a serious enquiry into this report.
"We requested him to ensure that the management of the home did not get any opportunity to remove or tamper with any information and documents. The SSP gave us a patient hearing and instructed SP South (a lady) to carry out an investigation," it said.
The women's group pointed out that the shelter home is "extremely over-crowded". It is supposed to accommodate about 100 minors but there are at least 171 and there are only nine toilets for all of them.
"In such a situation, especially when sanitary conditions leave much to be desired, it is not surprising that the virus spread in the way that it did," it said.
"We hope that you will do all that is needed to see that the very unfortunate inmates of this Rescue Home are rendered justice and that their right to health, education and a save environment are ensured," AIDWA said in the memorandum to the NHRC.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)