Is this Harsh Mander? NCPCR launches a campaign against illegal child homes run by a former bureaucrat

Under Priyank Kanoongo, the current chairman of NCPCR, the perception that the statutory body did not really work has changed. In his 3-year stint as the chairman of NCPCR, Priyank Kanoongo has invited the wrath of virtually everyone who erstwhile had been exploiting the gullible minds of children for their nefarious agendas. Well, the man is back with yet another brave move to launch a campaign against illegal child homes run by a former bureaucrat. The question, however, is who is this former bureaucrat?

NCPCR against illegal child homes

In a recent development, the Jharkhand police reportedly refused to file a First Information Report (FIR). The case in which an FIR was asked to be filed involved a child who has allegedly been sexually assaulted by a Children’s home care staff.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairman, Priyank Kanoongo, took the task up his sleeves and tweeted on Tuesday that he reached Jharkhand’s capital city Ranchi’s Children home care. He also informed that the police have refused to file an FIR “even in the cognizable offense” of child sexual abuse.

Priyank Kanoongo took to Twitter and said, “Today I am in Ranchi, Jharkhand, here in a children’s home, a case of sexual violence with a child by the staff and then suppressing him has come to light. Children’s home belongs to the same institution belonging to the same influential former bureaucrat, where children are used in picketing, demonstration, and chaotic activities.”

“It is a matter of shame that for the last four hours, Jharkhand Police is adamant on the insistence of calling the family members to file an FIR even in the cognizable offense of child sexual abuse, neither making the case itself nor making @NCPCR_ a complainant. Whose pressure is it? @HemantSorenJMM,” the NCPCR head added.

Is it Harsh Mander’s pressure?

Interestingly, the children’s home in Ranchi run by an NGO which is on the radar for a child sexual abuse case is linked to Harsh Mander. This could lead to another cold war between the NCPCR and the former bureaucrat-turned-activist. Kanoongo alleged that “The office bearers of the facility tried to suppress information related to a case of sexual abuse of a girl by a security guard in April by not reporting it to police or registering an FIR.”

Read more: Priyank Kanoongo showed what you could achieve if you are the boss of NCPCR

He also stated that “The home, which is not registered under the Juvenile Justice Act, simply dismissed the guard.”

Earlier as reported by TFI, Harsh Mander is facing charges for having instigated violent mobs in the runup to the anti-Hindu Delhi riots of 2020. He has also been named in the Delhi Police’s chargesheet for making hate speeches prior to the riots.

Separately, the man is being investigated by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Interestingly, the ED’s raids and the case against Mander had also stemmed from an FIR filed against him by the NCPCR, in which the commission accused the ‘activist’ of irregularities in two children’s homes linked to him.

Read more: Priyank Kanoongo is determined to remove Harsh Mander from NCERT books

NCERT wanted class 9 students in India to learn the sob story of Harsh Mander called ‘Weathering the Storm in Ersama’. However, Kanoongo had shot off a letter to the NCERT asking the council to explain its position on why a story of an alleged criminal has been included in the syllabus of ninth standard students.

In his letter to NCERT, Kanoongo said, “Upon receiving the complaint, the content of the story has been examined and it has been found that the story contains text that is beyond the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 which is the primary law for children in the country and is hence, outdated as it negates the different provisions of the Act.”

Given his past records, it can be said that Mander has been involved in various crimes and his involvement in the sexual abuse case is also possible. If the reports are something to go by, Mander needs to be punished and strict action should be taken against him.