-The Hindu
For the first time in five days since the controversy over a class V student of Patha Bhavan in Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan, being forced to drink her urine as punishment for bed wetting erupted, the authorities have expressed their regret over the incident on Thursday.
Stating that the university “unequivocally regrets the traumatic experience” of the student “at the hands of the Warden,” a press release issued by the office of the University’s Registrar Manimukut Mitra added that the authorities had decided to “overhaul the entire Warden-Matron system” prevailing in the school hostels for years.
Criticism
But the naming of the 10-year-old student thrice in the release has evoked strong criticism from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
“Naming the child in the release is a violation of section 21 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 which prohibits naming and exposing a child in such cases in public,” Vinod Kumar Tikoo, member of the Commission, told The Hindu over telephone from New Delhi.
He said that it was a “serious violation” and the University should be more sensitive to the child. Stating that the Commission does not approve the exposition of the name or picture of the child in the media, Mr. Tikoo said a pseudonym could have been used for the purpose.