Child Rights Commission orders inquiry into stripping of SPV stude

New Delhi, Jul 20 (UNI) In a significant development, the National Child Rights Commission today ordered an inquiry into the reported stripping and touching of the genitals of schoolchildren for medical examination in a private school in the capital.

Commission Chairperson Shanta Sinha ordered the inquiry after taking suo motu cognizance of the media reports about stripping of 240 boys of the Sardar Patel Vidyalaya for a survey by a private doctor for detecting hernia and hydrocele among other ailments.

Ms Sinha appointed a two-member Inquiry Committee including Commission member Sandhya Bajaj and noted advocate and social jurist Ashok Agarwal asking them to submit their report within a week.

The two-member team has been asked to undertake a detailed inquiry after contacting the affected students, their parents and school authorities in this regard.

The Commission, which has wide ranging powers to protect the rights and interests of children, would take a decision after receiving the report of the inquiry team.

According to news report, students of classes VIII, IX and X were reportedly forced to strip and their genitals touched by a team of doctors led by head of the paediatrics department of a Noida based private hospital on Tuesday and Wednesday. The tests were abandoned yesterday following an outrage among parents and the refusal of a few children to be subjected to the examination.

UNI