Taking suo-motu cognizance of a news item captioned "Observation Home under scanner/Boy found dead in Observation Home" which appeared in a national daily dated 14 December 2004, the Commission has asked the Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka, to look into the allegations contained in it and submit his comments within two weeks.
The newspaper had reported that 14-year-old Santosh, an inmate of Observation Home, Madivala, Bangalore, Karnataka, was found hanging by a rope from the ceiling of the toilet on 13 December 2004. According to the report, the deceased was put in the Observation Home on charges of theft and committed suicide. It also stated that 35 boys lodged in the Observation Home were reportedly shocked and no longer wanted to stay in the premises. The report further disclosed that Ms. Brinda Adiga of Makkala Sahaya Vani, the children's help line charged the staff in the Observation Home as being not skilled enough to handle juveniles. No intimation about the death in the Observation Home has so far been received in the Commission from the authorities concerned.
The Commission observed that if the contents of the report are true, the issue raised in it causes serious concern about the protection of human rights of juveniles lodged in the Observation Homes in Karnataka.