Child rights body slaps notice on police

The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) has issued an notice to the Delhi Police, asking them to explain why the parents of a 5-year-old girl - who was raped and locked in a room to die in Gandhi Nagar - were harassed in the police station and why was there a delay in registering the case.

The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) has issued an notice to the Delhi Police, asking them to explain why the parents of a 5-year-old girl - who was raped and locked in a room to die in Gandhi Nagar - were harassed in the police station and why was there a delay in registering the case.

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The child rights body has also asked AIIMS, where the child is currently being treated, to send reports to the commission for monitoring purposes.
According to a statement by the DCPCR chief Arun Mathur, the body had issued orders to a senior mental health consultant to carry out counseling of the child once she was in better health. The consultant has also been directed to counsel the parents of the girl.

The committee has also assured that the child will get appropriate compensation from the state for her rehabilitation.

Meanwhile, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, an NGO that works with children, criticized the government in general and Delhi Police in particular for their incompetence.

“This case shows contempt for the directions issued by Supreme Court of India and Delhi High Court on the procedures to be followed when a child goes missing. How many girls will have to go missing and be abused before the police even accept that the crime has happened?” said RS Chaurasia, chairperson, Bachpan Bachao Andolan.

“Had the police been prompt enough to take action after the complaint, the girl could have been saved and the brutality would have been prevented,” Chaurasia added.