Sangareddy Collector’s fiat draws flak

Student organisations are up in arms against Sangareddy Collector Manickraj Kannan’s circular to headmasters and hostel heads

​Sangareddy: Sangareddy District Collector Manickraj Kannan’s circular to headmasters of educational institutions and wardens of government hostels to prohibit children from being taken by unauthorised persons for processions, rallies or to form human chains does not seem to have gone down well with civil society organisations, especially student organisations.

The circular which was sent by the district administration to all educational institutions and hostels directs the headmasters and hostel welfare officers to file kidnapping cases on individuals and organisations in case they take children for protests and similar activities. The circular goes on to read that if the headmasters/hostel wardens fail to file FIRs on the individuals and organisations, they would be held for abetment to kidnapping.

Student community is outraged by the Collector’s move as they feel this is a more intense violation of child rights than what happens if children are taken for what they call ‘social events.’ Student organisations, irrespective of their ideological leaning, have come together and filed a petition with the State Human Rights Commission on Thursday.

Social media is abuzz with pictures of the Collector on one side and children being used for Haritha Haram programme on the other. Children being taken to attend government programmes like Haritha Haram and National Voters’ Day among many others is a regular sight in all district headquarters.

In fact, children are made to wait for hours together just because there is not enough mobilisation of people in those meetings. It may be a sweltering hot summer afternoon or a rainy day; children have to suffer the agony of listening to political speeches in welfare programmes all the time. Children are not even fed during these events.

Pictures of children waiting for three hours during Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s Haritha Haram programme are already doing rounds on the internet.

However, the Collector has given clarification that children are not supposed to be engaged in Ministers’ or some other programmes as per child protection policy. Children should not be engaged in such programmes without a written permission from parents or guardians.

“According to the Juvenile Justice Act also, children should not be used in these kinds of events. Collector’s move is a bold one,” opined MS Chandra, a child rights activist, speaking to The Hans India. But leaders of student organisations beg to differ. “We have been seeing increasing violations of child rights (below 18- year old students) in schools, colleges and government hostels.

By detaching them from the civil society in the name of child rights, the district administration is making it impossible for potential victims to come out openly and convey their problems. The new move by the Collector also further pushes them into poultry-farm-like education system without leaving much scope for understanding the happenings in the society. Child marriages, physical and sexual abuse of children at home, schools, colleges and hostels as well as student suicides are increasing every year.

Student organisations act as mentors to teenage children and not as spoilers. Already students are not coming out openly about their problems. This move will further deteriorate the situation having adverse implications on the health of the society,” commented Anil Kumar, Sangareddy District Convenor, ABVP.

“First they closed Dharna Chowk and now they are preventing students from expressing their views on issues. If the district administration is so concerned about protecting child rights, they should take stern action on industries employing thousands of children in Sangareddy district.

No action is ever taken on those marrying girlchildren or even those performing such marriages. How many cases have been filed in the district in the last one year? Even a single case? This move is clearly to control students and organisations,” alleged Ramesh, District Secretary, SFI.

Whether the move of the Collector is right or not, it certainly has drawn the ire of various organisations and this issue may prove to be a double-edged sword for the district administration for sure, at least in the near future.