District magistrates to probe deaths within 4 weeks: NCPCR

Child-care institutions

New Delhi: District magistrates will need to complete probe in cases of child deaths inside a child-care institution (CCI) within four weeks, according to new guidelines issued by the NCPCR.

Stuti Kacker, the Chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), said the guidelines have been formed in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

"There was no procedure of what should be done in case of runaway children or death of a children or their sexual assault and something needs to be there for the children who are living in these child-care institutions," Kacker said.

"The law is quiet on the role of CCIs to address issues such as escape, runaway or sexual abuse of children living in the institutions. These guidelines would fix this too," she said.

There is a provision under the Juvenile Justice Act to conduct a probe into instances of death of children, but the guidelines aim to establish a timeframe, the NCPCR chairperson said.

The post-mortem of the child would be conducted within 24 hours and guardians, parents or district magistrates would be kept in the loop, she added.

In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, the NCPCR had said that the preliminary report of a social audit that it is conducting in 9,000 child-care institutions across India has revealed a "frightening scenario".

Of the 2,874 children home inspected so far by the NCPCR, just 54 have got positive reviews, it said.

The guidelines also tell the detailed procedure a child-care institution has to follow after cases of sexual abuse or death of a child are reported.

The guidelines have been released in the aftermath of the cases of sexual abuses and missing children reported in Deoria and Muzaffarpur.