The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued urgent notices to the top administration and police officials of Khammam district in Telangana, directing a swift investigation into allegations that school children were coerced into participating in a politically and religiously charged protest.
The action comes in response to a formal complaint filed by the Legal Rights Protection Forum, which alleged grave violations of children’s rights during a pro-Palestine rally held in Khammam on 7 August 2025.
Presided over by Hon’ble Member Shri Priyank Kanoongo, the Commission took cognizance under Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. The NHRC has called for a detailed Action Taken Report within 15 days from the Khammam District Collector, the Superintendent of Police, and the Commissioner of School Education, Telangana.
The complaint alleged that nearly 25 schools, both large and small, forced minor students to attend the rally, transporting them in approximately 100 buses. At the event, children were reportedly made to enact violent depictions of the Gaza conflict, using props such as dolls wrapped to resemble corpses, stained with red colour to simulate blood. The complaint stated that such graphic dramatizations caused significant fear and emotional distress among the children.
Citing multiple legal violations, the petitioner highlighted breaches of:
- Article 39(f) of the Indian Constitution, which mandates protection of children from exploitation,
- Section 17 of the Right to Education Act, prohibiting mental harassment of students,
- Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act, which penalizes cruelty causing mental or physical suffering to a child.
The rally was reportedly organized by a coalition including communist parties (CPI, CPM, CPI(ML)), Muslim organizations such as Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, and local leaders from the Congress and BRS parties.
The NHRC directive emphasizes the need to identify all responsible school managements and organizers, ensure counselling for affected children, and initiate legal action under relevant provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The Commission has instructed authorities to submit their report via the official HRCNet portal and refrain from email communications to maintain procedural integrity.
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