Daijiworld Media Network
Bhopal, Aug 9: A bizarre case of human rights violation has landed Madhya Pradesh jail department in deep trouble.
On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, many had visited Bhopal Central Jail to meet the inmates on Monday. While the usual practice is to stamp the palm of the visitors for identification purposes, some children were stamped on their cheeks. Picture of two such children with stamp that reads 'Kendriya Karagar Bhopal, Raksha Bandhan Parv' with the date went viral on social media.
Terming the act as 'inhuman' the Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission (MPHRC) has served a show cause notice to the Madhya Pradesh jail department.
“This is against human values. Putting seals on the face of children is like a mental harassment for them. It is a violation of their human rights. The commission has asked to immediately stop the practice of stamping seals on people coming to meet relatives in jail," said an MPHRC statement. A compensation of Rs 10,000 to each child is ordered.
Madhya Pradesh jails minister Kusum Mehdele too ordered an inquiry and asked DGP-prisons Sanjay Chaudhary to submit the report in three days. She asserted that strong action will be taken against people responsible for it.
Meanwhile, senior officials tried to defend the jail staff. "More than 8,000 people visit the jail on Rakhi. It is not such an issue. The stamping on only two children could be due to a mistake," said a senior prisons official.
However, he did not have an explanation when asked on how two kids would have the stamp at the exact spot "by mistake".