The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has sought the action taken report to be submitted within three days.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) wrote a letter to Tamil Nadu DGP Sylendra Babu and Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu on Friday, September 9 to take action against CSI Monahan Girls Higher Secondary School in Royapettah for the alleged forced conversion of girls to Christianity.
Tamil Nadu State Commission for Protection of Child’s Rights (TNSCPCR) recently formed a team to conduct inspections to check hostels attached to schools in the state. The team found that the Child Care Institution (CCI) attached to CSI Monahan School was unregistered during their inspection on September 6 and also found that the school was housing girls from poor economic backgrounds who were then forced to follow Christianity. The probationary officer, right after the inspection, instructed the District Child Protection Unit (DCPO) and Child Welfare Committee (CWC) to rescue the girls.
NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoonga mentioned that the girl students are housed in a hostel that is not registered and also asked the DGP and Chief Secretary to evacuate the girl students within 24 hours. They have also been urged to file an FIR against the school as the hostel warden abused the school students and the school forced parents to give consent for their kids to continue to study from the hostel.
In the letter, the commission mentioned “however, some girls from the said CCI called the TNCPCR on 09.09.22 to inform them that they have yet not been rescued from the CCI and are being abused by the hostel warden now. They further shared that now their parents have been asked to come and give consent to the school management that their children can stay in a hostel.”
“The TNCPCR has further informed that the state authorities are not responding to their calls now and they have come to know through a staff member that the officials of the Social Defence Department are supporting the CSI School Management while preventing the rescue operations from taking place,” it further reads.
The commission later directed that the girls should be produced before the Child Welfare Committee to record their statements over the forced religious conversion and to give them counselling as per the Juvenile Justice (care and projection) Act 2015. Priyank Kanoonga has also sought arrangements to rehabilitate the students either to their own houses or other suitable facilities as per the law. Along with an FIR (First Information Report), the NCPCR has also demanded to start proceedings against the school as it is running the hostels without proper registration and expects the action taken report to be submitted within three days. When TNM spoke with Saraswathy Rangasamy, who headed the TNCPCR team to inspect the schools, she said that action should have been taken right now, but the government is yet to take action against this school. We should wait till Monday to know the response of the government, she added.
Source: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/chennai-school-under-scanner-over-forced-religious-conversion-ncpcr-seeks-action-167735
