Presence of kid at Cong rally against fuel price hike puts party in trouble; 2 arrested

The Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) has taken suo motto cognisance after reports of cruelty against children during a protest programme in Lakhimpur district of Assam organised by the Congress party to protest against the rise in petrol price.

Following the suo moto cognisance by the Commission, police have already arrested two persons including the mother of the approximately nine-year-old child.

It may be mentioned here that on Wednesday the Opposition Congress party in Assam organised a protest demonstration across the State in protest against rise in petrol price. However, the Lakhimpur unit of the party while holding the protest demonstration, made an approximately six to seven year old child to sit on a leaf layer of beetle nut tree and dragged throughout under the mid day scorching sun .

“It came to the notice of the Commission through various reports regarding an act of cruelty against a child in Lakhimpur District wherein a child aged about 7-9 years (approx) was used as a tool for unconscionable gain and an instrument of protest. During the mid day in the scorching heat the child was made to sit on the leaf layer of bettlenut tree and dragged throughout,” said a spokesman of the Commission. “The ASCPCR has taken suo-moto cognisance of the same under section 13 of the Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005 and has instructed the Police Administration to take immediate necessary action against the perpetrators as the Commission identifies the action as a punishable offence u/s 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015,” the spokesman said.