E-Paper
12-year-old left alone at night at Uttarakhand quarantine centre, probe ordered
Officials said that there was no one at the quarantine centre to look after the child at night and the gate was opened the next morning after the boy’s father was seen waiting outside.
A 12-year-old boy was left alone at night at a quarantine centre in Gangapur village of Nainital’s Haldwani area on Sunday after he returned from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh. The district administration has ordered a probe into the matter.
The boy spent the night alone at a primary school while his father waited outside, who had brought dinner for him. After the father gave him dinner and left, the local guard of the school closed the gate. The boy’s father was taken aback as there was nobody in the school to look after his son and so he decided to wait outside to ensure that the boy doesn’t feel alone or frightened.
Officials said that there was no one at the quarantine centre to look after the child at night and the gate was opened the next morning after the boy’s father was seen waiting outside.
Lalit Sanwal, gram pradhan of Gangapur village, said that the gate had been locked for security purposes.
“We had locked the gate for the safety and security of the boy quarantined at the primary school. There was an ASHA worker to look after the child,” said Sanwal.
However, the boy’s father alleged that he found the boy alone at the centre.
Nirmala Joshi, block development officer and nodal officer for the quarantine centre, said “this is a very serious matter. I have instructed the panchayat secretary to hold an inquiry into this. The minor boy could not have come alone from Rampur. People who accompanied him should also have been quarantined at the same centre,” said Joshi.
According to guidelines stated by the government, a minor should be quarantined with his or her family members, who along with the gram pradhan are supposed to look after the minor.
