PRESS RELEASE

New Delhi, 1st August, 2014

The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that a child was hung upside down in a eight feet deep and one foot narrow pit by a contractor to clean it on the 22nd July, 2014. The pit was meant for erecting an electric pole at Railway Station Guna, Madhya Pradesh.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the press report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of the child. Accordingly, notices have been issued to the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, Guna, Madhya Pradesh calling for a report in the matter within two weeks.

The report, carried along with photographs on the 24th July, 2014, said that several pits were dug for installing electric poles at the Railway Station, Guna which were needed to be cleaned but the grown up labourers were not able to get inside them as these were very narrow. Hence, a child was engaged to do the job. After cleaning it a while, the child felt suffocated and started screaming. Seeing this, some bystanders raised an alarm. Thereafter, the child was pulled out of the pit. The Supervisor ran away from the spot.

*****