The Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) has urged the government to investigate and find out the number of children sent by various organisations to educational institutions outside Meghalaya.
Following the tragic deaths of two boys from the state due to suspected food poisoning at a school in Karnataka, the HYC suggested that the government should maintain a comprehensive database of such organisations, including details of office bearers, contact persons, children enrolled, and their accommodations, to ensure their safety and well-being.
“There is an urgent need of a thorough investigation by the State Fact Finding Team to find out the number of young boys and girls taken by such groups or organisations for providing free education outside the State,” HYC president Roy Kupar Synrem said in a letter to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong and Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma.
Synrem said keeping track of students studying outside the state is important to ensure that lives of our young children are not lost in such a horrifying way and to be able to put a mechanism to fix responsibility on persons who are accountable for their safety and wellbeing.
Calling for a thorough investigation and accountability for those responsible for the food poisoning incident that left several others hospitalised, the HYC said the government should take the issue seriously and those responsible should be prosecuted and action taken as per law.
The HYC also referred to a 2009 investigative report by journalist Sanjana Chappali in Tehelka titled “A Strange and Bitter Crop,” which highlighted concerns about the conditions of children taken to Karnataka by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliates.
HYC noted that over a thousand children from Meghalaya are currently enrolled in similar programmes across India, emphasising the need for the state government to prioritise their safety and welfare.
It is also requested that if there are parents or guardians or students who wish to return back to their homes and cannot do so due to financial reasons, then steps should be taken to ensure their safe return home.
