Human rights body raps MP govt as students risk lives crossing dam to school
The Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Madhya Pradesh government over reports that school students in Vidisha district are risking their
The Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Madhya Pradesh government over reports that school students in Vidisha district are risking their lives to cross the Betwa River on check dam pillars to reach school. The Commission said it took suo motu cognisance of the matter after a media report claimed the children were using the route because it cut the distance from 13 km by road to 1.5 km. Read Full Story In a statement issued on Friday, the NHRC said the contents of the report, if true, raised serious issues of human rights violation. It has sent a notice to the Madhya Pradesh chief secretary and sought a detailed report within two weeks.
The Commission said the media report described "school students risking their lives by hopping on check dam pillars to cross the Betwa River to reach school in Vidisha district". It noted that Article 21A of the Constitution guarantees free and compulsory education to children aged 6 to 14, while the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 makes education a right for every child in that age group. The NHRC also referred to the Supreme Court's ruling in the Avinash Mehrotra vs Union of India case of 2009, saying the right to education includes the right to a safe school and safe infrastructure.
It said the absence of a safe mode of transport for children to reach school "amounts to a negation of their fundamental right to education with dignity". According to the statement, a video showing children hopping across wide gaps in exposed check dam pillars went viral on social media after the report was carried on August 4. The Commission said villagers had reportedly expressed their inability to drop their children at a faraway school because they had to work in the fields, leaving them with the choice of either stopping the children from going to school or allowing them to continue using the risky route. The NHRC also cited reports that a student failed her final exams after missing school because she could not cross the pillars due to her short height.
It said the district education officer had visited the spot and informed the district collector about the issue, but no timeline had been given for building a safe passage across the river. The Commission's notice to the state government centres on reports that children are taking a dangerous shortcut across the Betwa River to attend school, and it has asked for a detailed response on the lack of safe access. Ends
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