Cops stop quizzing Bidar schoolchildren after child rights panel intervenes

After putting the students of a Bidar-based school through traumatic sessions of interrogation over a week, the district police stopped the questioning process on Wednesday (February 5) after being issued a notice by the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR).

Students of Shaheen School in Bihar have been interrogated by police at least five times since they staged a play against the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register for Citizens (NRC) in the school on January 21.

According to reports, the police have collected information regarding the play and now would not be visiting the school unless there is a new development in the case.

Earlier, the headmistress was arrested for giving permission for the play and the mother of a student was arrested for teaching the child to say lines which were not in the script. The line which ‘instigated beating people who asked for documents with slippers’ is what apparently irked the authorities.

The KSCPCR has sought response from Bidar’s Deputy Superintendent of Police Basaveshwara Hira within seven days.

On Tuesday (February 4) Tauseef Madikeri, the school’s CEO said, “Police have invoked sections 124(A), 505 and 504 IPC against the institution, over the anti-CAA play. It is beyond anyone’s imagination.”

Also read | Cops continue grilling students on anti-CAA play; parents, school cry foul

(With inputs from agencies)