NHRC seeks report after Gurukul teacher brands students with hot iron rod

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that a Gurukul teacher, annoyed over bedwetting by some students, allegedly branded them with a hot iron rod at a hostel inside a temple complex in Rajasthan’s Barmer district.

The Gurukul, where students study Sanskrit and other subjects, has around 30 children on its rolls. According to the report, carried on August 22, a video of the incident also went viral on social media.

The matter came to light when one of the injured boys returned home and informed his family, following which villagers gathered in large numbers to protest.

Taking note of the incident, the apex human rights body observed that the contents of the report, if true, raise serious concerns of human rights violations of the children.

The NHRC has issued notice to the Barmer District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police, seeking a detailed report on the incident within two weeks, including the health status of the victim students.

The Rajasthan Police has arrested the accused teacher named Narayan Giri under Section 151 of CrPC and provisions of Juvenile Justice Act.

Established under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, the NHRC, an autonomous statutory body, is an embodiment of India’s concern for the promotion and protection of human rights.

Its primary role is to protect and promote human rights, defined as the rights relating to life, liberty, equality, and dignity of individuals guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants and enforceable by courts in India.

The apex human rights body has the power to take suo motu (on its own motion) action based on media reports, public knowledge or other sources, without receiving a formal complaint of human rights violations.

IANS