NHRC seeks report over death of 5-year-old in Hazaribagh's residential school

New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that a 5-year-old student at a residential school in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district succumbed to injuries allegedly inflicted by a teacher who had severely beaten him.

Reportedly, the brother of the deceased child, who is also enrolled at the same school, informed that the teacher assaulted his brother after he refused to eat the food served. The apex human rights body has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights.

The NHRC has issued notices to the Jharkhand Chief Secretary and the Superintendent of Police, Hazaribagh, calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.

According to media reports carried on September 25, the accused teacher and the school manager are absconding.

The deceased and his brother were enrolled at the same residential school, residing in the hostel and attending different classes.

As per the victim’s brother, the child often appeared withdrawn, missing their parents, and was visibly fearful around teachers. He further mentioned that the victim had stopped eating. During this period, a female teacher allegedly scolded him and beat him with a stick. The assault reportedly caused the child to collapse suddenly and stop breathing.

The brother added that the victim’s eyes remained open, but he was unresponsive and showed no signs of movement.

Established under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, the NHRC, an autonomous statutory body, is an embodiment of India's concern for the promotion and protection of human rights. Its primary role is to protect and promote human rights, defined as the rights relating to life, liberty, equality, and dignity of individuals guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in international covenants and enforceable by courts in India.

The apex human rights body has the power to take suo motu (on its own motion) action based on media reports, public knowledge or other sources, without receiving a formal complaint of human rights violations.

--IANS

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