CHENNAI: Taking suo motu cognizance of four news reports in The New Indian Express, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has directed authorities to file their reply.
Following the report ‘Cops yet to crack two baby missing cases' published on April 4, the commission ordered the Chennai City Commissioner of Police to submit an interim report on the steps taken track the children, within a week.
Express had reported on how two babies, who were asleep with their parents on pavements, went missing in a span of 21 days. In the first incident, on February 29, a nine month-old baby girl went missing from Walltax Road. The girl was the daughter of daily labourers Perumal and Lakshmi. In the other, an eight month-old boy went missing in the wee hours of March 21 outside the office of Harbour MLA, North Fort Road.
In both the incidents the police have lifted CCTV footage.
In another order, considering the news report ‘Girl’s sexual trauma at home shocks school camp,’ published on the same day the panel directed the CoP and Commissioner, Corporation of Chennai, to submit a report within four weeks.
The news pertained to two sisters, studying in class VII and IX, facing sexual abuse by their step brother. It all began when they moved to a new house and stayed with their step-father, and his two sons from from first marriage - aged 20 and 22. The girls' mother would return late and their aged step father would sleep early. Taking advantage of this, their step brothers would take turns in abusing them and even physically abused. At times, the girls would hide in the restroom, till their mother came. Worse, their mother had asked them to keep quiet.
Another news was about a dalit youth who tied the knot to a caste Hindu girl facing threat to his life. Considering the report ‘Girl alleges threat to dalit husband, seeks protection,' published on April 7, the panel directed the Superintendent of Police, Trichy,to submit a report within a week.
The news report April 6, ‘Assaulted kids to approach SHRC’ was considered by the commission which ordered the Superintendent of Police, Villupuram, to submit a report within two weeks.
The report brought to light how two cousins, studying in class nine, were manhandled by a Special Sub-Inspector, who forced them to confess to a theft of Rs one lakh. The juveniles, while playing hide and seek, went to a school terrace to hide, where they found money littered on the terrace. They collected around Rs 10,000 and Rs 10,500 each and bought new clothes and mobile phones and returned around Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000 to their parents informing them they got the money from the railway track.
The incident spread by word of mouth and the police picked up the brothers and manhandled them to confess to a recent theft, in which Rs one lakh was stolen from a house. The boys were later released, but could not attend their final exams.