Anti-CAA protesters of Shaheen Bagh need counselling to prevent mental trauma: NCPCR

Delhi's Shaheen Bagh has been the epicentre of the anti-CAA Protests rife in the country. The women and children of the suburban area in the national capital have been leading the protests since the CAA was passed in the parliament. They have been protesting 24/7 since over a month along with their children, even as the CAA was brought into effect recently.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) asked Delhi authorities to identify and arrange to counsel for children seen at protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Shaheen Bagh, and their parents.

A letter was written to the District Magistrate of South East Delhi in which the Commission stated that the children at Shaheen Bagh "may suffer from mental trauma" as a result of rumours and miscommunication.

The commission said the following lines were from a complaint it had received about viral videos filmed at Shaheen Bagh:

"These children are shouting that their elders have told them that Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] and Home Minister [Amit Shah]...will ask them to produce documents of citizenship, and if they fail to produce [them], they will be sent to detention centres, where they will not be allowed even food and clothing."

The NCPCR asked city authorities to take action "in view of the seriousness of the issue and its impact on the children". The commission has asked the Delhi police to send a report on the state of affairs at Shaheen Bagh within ten days.

On Monday, the Delhi Police urged protesters to unblock the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch, saying the blockade was causing "extreme hardships" to schoolchildren. A key link between Noida and Delhi, the road has been closed by the Noida Traffic Police in view of the ongoing protests.