In a major development, the Meghalaya Directorate of Social Welfare has formally taken charge of 24 children rescued from a facility in Chikkaballapur district in Karnataka, alleging that the private residential education institution in the southern state was in a 'poor condition'.
Meghalaya State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) Chairperson and former Union minister Agatha Sangma said the 24 children were brought back in a coordinated operation involving officials and multiple child-rights organisations.
"The organisation which was sending these children to Karnataka was found to be illegal, and we have taken action. The deputy commissioner has issued a letter to them banning their operations, and required legal action will be taken," Agatha Sangma added.
Sangma further added that there is an increasing number of cases involving minors being transported without adhering to proper procedures.
"The commission has found that several groups are sending minors to institutions outside Meghalaya without registration or approval from district authorities. Some of these children are being sent outside the state on the pretext of education; however, these organisations are not registered and are operating illegally. The commission has written to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, urging the government to frame a clear Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to regulate the process. The purpose of these SOPs is to ensure that our children go safely to these institutions, and it should be done in a more transparent and coordinated manner," Sangma said.
The SCPCR has already written to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, recommending the formulation of a Standard Operating Procedure for the movement of children below 18 years to institutions outside the state.
