Child rights body summons Facebook officials over Rahul Gandhi's Instagram post
New Delhi, Aug 14: The country's apex child rights body NCPCR has summoned Facebook officials Tuesday for not responding to its notice flagging Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Instagram post allegedly revealing the identity of a nine-year-old rape and murder victim.
The latest NCPCR communication to Facebook, which owns the photo and video-sharing social networking platform Instagram, follows its notice seeking action against Gandhi's profile for posting a video of the affected family.
"However, no reply/action taken report has been received by you," the commission said in its follow-up letter.
The commission has now asked Facebook officials to appear at 5 pm Tuesday in-person at the NCPCR Office in Janpath or through video conferencing along with the details of the action taken.
Earlier, the NCPCR had asked Facebook to take appropriate action against the Instagram profile of Gandhi over the alleged violation of provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and the Indian Penal Code, and demanded the removal of the video.
Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, prohibits the disclosure of the identity of a child in any form of media and Section 23 of the POCSO Act, 2012, also states that no information or photo of a child should be published in any form of media which could reveal the identity of the child.
This information under Section 23 of the POCSO Act includes his/her name, address, photograph, family details, school, neighbourhood or any other particulars which may lead to disclosure of identity of the child.
On August 4, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) wrote to Twitter, asking it to take action against the handle of Gandhi for posting the photo of the family.
The microblogging site blocked the account of Gandhi following the complaint. Twitter on its part has said that it has followed the due process as Gandhi's tweet on the family of the victim was against its rules and the law.
A Congress leader Saturday the account has now been restored.
Gandhi last week met the family of the nine-year-old girl and asserted that he is with them on the path to justice and "will not back down even an inch".
Later, he posted a picture of his meeting with the girl's parents on Twitter and wrote in Hindi, "Parents' tears are saying only one thing their daughter, the daughter of this country, deserves justice. And I am with them on this path to justice".
The girl died under mysterious circumstances when she went to get water from a cooler at a crematorium in the Old Nangal area in southwest Delhi. The girl's parents alleged that she was raped and her body forcibly cremated by a crematorium priest who had falsely claimed that she was electrocuted.
Hundreds of locals, including the victim's parents, have been staging a protest near the site of the incident, demanding capital punishment for the accused.
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300 students get free sanitary pads at menstrual health awareness programme in Mangaluru
Mangaluru: Around 300 students from government colleges and schools in Kavoor were given free sanitary pads during an awareness programme on menstrual health and hygiene held on Saturday.
The programme was organised by the Women Research Centre and the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) at the Government First Grade College (GFGC), Kavoor. The students hailed from Government First Grade college (GFGC), PU government college and high school, Deccan Herald reported.
Prameela Rao of Women Research Centre reportedly said, such awareness programme on menstrual health and free distribution of pads will be organised once in two months throughout the year. The entire cost of organising the awareness programmes and free distribution of pads had been sponsored by US based couple, Vinay Kumar and Dr Sowmya Rao, and a non-government organisation ‘Code Crimson'."
ALSO READ: 60-year-old man arrested under POCSO Act on rape charges in Surathkal
Joint Director of the Department of Collegiate Education, Kavitha K R, who inaugurated the programme reportedly said, such initiatives should inspire students to give back to society in the future. As per the report, she highlighted the need for more women role models and encouraged students to break taboos surrounding menstruation.
According to the report, GFGC Principal Dr Geetha M L urged students to use biodegradable sanitary pads. Doctors Ankita Sarkar and Anuja Sarkar from Code Crimson addressed students on menstrual myths, hygiene practices, the importance of regular pad changes and safe disposal methods.
The speakers stressed that menstruation is a natural process and encouraged students to seek correct information without hesitation.
