By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 3: The recent repatriation of 24 Meghalaya children from Karnataka has prompted a strong warning from Advisor to the Social Welfare Minister and West Shillong MLA Paul Lyngdoh, who emphasised that NGOs must strictly follow government protocols or face legal action.
He said the children had been subjected to extreme anxiety and ill health, and that the Social Welfare Department had intervened to safeguard their wellbeing.
Lyngdoh appreciated the department’s efforts, noting that despite clear legal provisions, several NGOs continued to send children to institutions outside the state under the guise of education without fully complying with notified Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
He stressed that this was the second such intervention and that strict compliance would be enforced going forward.
On Tuesday, 24 children aged between eight and thirteen were repatriated from Chikkaballapura district in Karnataka after being rescued from the Sowmya Kesanupalli Student Home in Perumale.
The case has reignited demands for a stronger regulatory framework to prevent minors from being sent out of the state under unclear or questionable arrangements.
The issue came to light on August 2, 2025, when the Chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Chikkaballapur informed Meghalaya’s Social Welfare Department that 25 children from the state had been rescued. Meghalaya CWC members later held a video conference with the children to assess their condition.
Officials said the children had been sent to Karnataka in June 2025 by the Leisynshar Cultural Society. Parents were asked to pay only a travel donation, while the organisation claimed school and hostel fees would not be charged.
The Social Welfare department has coordinated with the Directorate of School Education and Literacy to facilitate the children’s school re-enrolment upon return.
Since the matter is still under consideration before the Karnataka High Court, the children were initially housed at the Government Children’s Home in Chikkaballapur before being transported to Shillong, where they will now be temporarily accommodated at the Children’s Home for Girls in Mawkasiang.
