Chennai: A school in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, is facing allegations of forced conversion of children living in hostels. Dr Saranya Jayakumar, a member of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Tamil Nadu (SCPCR), who came to investigate the hostel, has said that during the checking, the license to operate the hostel was not even received. Near the children's bed, there is a Bible, the holy book of Christians, and the walls were covered with pictures of Jesus.
Dr Sarnya Jaikumar informed that on September 6, 2022, the Chairman of the State Commission NCPR and I had checked the lodger homes (hostels) of the schools. When we reached the lodger home at St. Anthony's School in Mylapore, the children living there were overjoyed. Along with this, all the licenses were also present with the operators of the lodger home. After that when we reached the lodger home of CSI Monahan Girls Higher Secondary School, we were stunned to see what we saw there.
Dirt was spread everywhere in the lodger's home. The beds in the hall were very dirty and they were also rusty. Bibles were placed near all the beds and there were pictures of Jesus on the walls. Seeing the mess spread in the lodger home, I felt that this place is not at all suitable for children. He said that in Christian organizations, children are prohibited from putting flowers on their hair and wearing bindi-earrings. But, the atmosphere in Monahan Girls Higher Secondary was very surprising. When we met the children of the school, they cried and started saying that they do not want to stay here. The children have given us in writing that they are harassed in school.
Children have also told that, they are not happy here at all. They are only allowed to talk to their family members for one minute a week. Even during that time, the speaker of the phone remains on and the warden of a lodger home is present there during that time. We are not even allowed to meet our parents. We don't even have clothes to wear and clean water to drink. There are no toilet doors inside the school.
Dr Saranya has told that seeing the situation there, it seemed that if the children fall ill, then the people of the lodger home do not even have proper medical service. So we immediately decided that there was a need to save these children. We tried reaching out to the state authority but did not get a revert. After which we have immediately informed the National Commission in this regard.
After this incident came to light, the state commission has sent a letter to all the collectors asking them to send notices to the schools. All schools should register their hostels as per rules for operation. If, it is a free hostel for poor children, it should be run by an NGO and registered as a CCI under the Juvenile Justice Act. Dr Saranya said that, on September 6, we have come after doing a physical inspection of the school. On Friday 9th September, I got a call from a random number. This child who spoke to me said that my mother has just been asked to come to the hostel and give in writing that it is a safe place. I am being forced to stay in the hostel. There was a call from another child who was calling on the phone and asking to get us out of here.
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