NEW DELHI:The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has decided to revise its guidelines for child participants of television shows following the recent controversy over singer Papon kissing a minor contestant of a reality TV show. The child rights body had last month received a complaint against the singer under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Sources in NCPCR said the need to revisit the guidelines was felt as they were laid down in 2011 before the Juvenile Justice Act of 2015, POCSO Act 2015, and Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act 2016 were put in place.“We will now revise our guidelines in consonance with the new legislations,” a senior NCPCR official said.
The incident involving the Bollywood singer took place during a pre-Holi celebration where Papon and children participating in the reality show were interacting with fans through a Facebook live video. During the live streaming, the singer kissed a 12-year-old contestant, which he later regretted, but said it was an “affectionate and not a sexual gesture”.Papon quit the show following the controversy. An FIR was also registered against him.