Guwahati: With a differently abled child allegedly assaulted and injured by the staff of NGO at a home run by it here, Kamrup (Metro) district administration initiated steps on Thursday to regulate private hostels, orphanages and child care homes.
An official release said all children homes, hostels and orphanages can operate only if they are registered with the district administration and should submit details of their inmates and other related information to the district administration.
A district level inspection committee comprising officials from administration, police, social welfare department and Guwahati Municipal Corporation will soon visit the orphanages, homes and hostels in the district for ensuring a safe environment to the inmates, particularly women and children and submit its report to the deputy commissioner.
It will designate a district social welfare officer and district child welfare committee as the competent authority for the registration and grievance redressal. Besides, there will be a capacity building programme on child protection and other welfare measures for the existing homes and orphanages and special care will be given to orphanages, homes and hostels, where women and girls, children were being admitted.
A team of experts will be formed to take care of various grievances of the inmates, the release said adding proper orientation about proper health care and other emergency provisions like fire safety and others will also be looked into.
Three staff members of the NGO Society for Health and Education Development working for differently abled children have been taken into custody for allegedly assaulting and injuring an eight-year-old in their home at Sonapur here and a case was registered against them.
The eight-year-old, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, was seriously injured and admitted to a private hospital in the city on Tuesday night and Kamrup (Metro) deputy commissioner M Angamuthu had orderd an inquiry into incident.
Sonapur Circle Officer Dhrubajyoti Hazarika visited the home and conducted an inquiry. He also examined the documents of the NGO to ascertain its legal permission. After the inquiry, Hazarika lodged an FIR at Sonapur police station.
The police subsequently registered a case and took into custody the home’s manager Hiranya Saikiya, its warden Santi Niketan Sing and cook Kishan Kumar. Angamuthu said the district administration will take stern legal action against the NGO for inhuman behavior of differently abled children at the institution.
Child rights activist Miguel Das Queah pleaded for strict action against people involved in the assault and urged the state government to pass the Assam Corporal Punishment in Educational Institutions (Prohibition) Bill 2010. (PTI)
