IMPHAL, August 10: The Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR) said it acknowledges the crucial role of the security forces including the police in maintaining order during the ongoing agitations in which school students including girls are the main protestors, however, it has appealed to all concern authorities not to adopt widespread, systemic and institutionalised physical abuse and create psychological damage among the young people.
A statement said it will leave a long lasting impact in the future of the students.
In his statement, K Maharabi Singh, member MCPCR, said that the commission is of the opinion that the strategy and approach for controlling the young or children protestors must be different from those adopted against adults.
It said as a matter of fact the very interpretation of `Minimum Forces` needs to be redefined and reviewed contextually.
For that matter, lathi charge, tear gas, shells and rubber bullets should not be used arbitrarily and abruptly against the unarmed children, and ordering to use such dangerous and deadly means against the unarmed young children is unwarranted, it said.
If required, the security forces should use other less injurious means such as repeated convincing warning through loud speakers, ensuring adequate barricades, water cannon may be an option as last resort, while encountering the young children, the statement continued.
The proportionate force to their tender age and their probable strength should be taken into consideration before resorting to any violent means it observed, and further added that there should be always arrangements for ambulance and first aid along the side of such confrontations.
The underlying principle is our security forces and police should rather be a child friendly and protective force than a hostile force unleashing devastating impact to right to life and rights of the child to freedom of association and to freedom of peaceful assembly, it said.
Excessive and disproportionate use of force on children and young students is unbecoming in a democratic country like India, a country which ratified the UN Convention on Rights of the Child and where Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 is in force, it said.
The statement also said that a groundbreaking training manual for police and security forces comprising of lessons on child rights, Juvenile Justice, human rights and decent mob control standard must be introduced.
It pointed out that the section 23 (Punishment or the child, assaults, abandons, exposes or Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000 states that `Whoever, having actual charge of, control over, a juvenile or the child, assaults, abandons, exposes or willfully neglects the juvenile or causes or procures him to be assaulted, abandoned, exposed or neglected in a manner likely to cause such juvenile or the child unnecessary mental or physical suffering shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or fine, or with both.`
Further, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Rules, 2007 Rules No. 84 (11) also provides that `Any police officer found guilty, after due enquiry, of torturing a child, mentally or physically, shall be liable to be removed from service, besides prosecuted for the offence`.
The commission also appealed all the stake holders to treat educational institutions and education as an essential service and exempt it from `Indefinite or prolong closure` so that children`™s right to education is not infringed.