New Delhi: Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), strongly criticized the appalling conditions at an unlicensed orphanage managed by the Gandhi family in the Anand Bhawan complex in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
Kanoongo's statement, posted on social media, highlighted the lack of doors in the restrooms for adolescent orphan girls at the unlicensed orphanage in Prayagraj's Anand Bhawan complex, a place where Rahul Gandhi used to stay during his visits. The orphanage allegedly received foreign funds, and Kanoongo revealed these findings after an inspection conducted by the NCPCR, leading to the filing of an FIR.
He urged a well-respected member of parliament to refrain from referring to the Gandhi family as "country" and shared a news story link and a picture of a tweet by Rahul Gandhi at the orphanage.
This development followed Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Krishna Tankha's accusations of sensationalism against the NCPCR. Tankha called on the Central Government to exercise control over organizations like the NCPCR, cautioning against becoming "wayward and sensational" for India to achieve global economic status.
In 2020, the NCPCR exposed serious irregularities and illegalities at the Children National Institute, a shelter home for girls in Allahabad's Anand Bhawan, the ancestral home of the Nehru-Gandhi family. The Uttar Pradesh government was instructed to relocate the inmates immediately due to poor living conditions.
An inspection was conducted by the NCPCR after a social audit, revealing the distressing state of the girls in the orphanage established by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947 as a temporary home for children orphaned during Partition. The shelter, operated by a trust and housed in the Swaraj Bhawan neighborhood of Anand Bhawan, was deemed one of the most premier and oldest in India by the Commission.
The home's physical condition was described as "pathetic," lacking basic maintenance and restroom doors. The NCPCR recommended relocating girls to alternative accommodations until the shelter's conditions were rectified.
The girls reportedly received only one meal a day, relying on outside donations for additional meals. A senior Commission official noted insufficient staff, beds, and documentation about the girls' backgrounds. Following the social audit, Kanoongo expressed shock at serious violations of the Juvenile Justice Act and irregularities in the institute's operations.
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