TNSCPCR turns on heat on Tamil Nadu government over forced conversions in school

While the issue prompted the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to write a letter to Tamil Nadu DGP Sylendra Babu and Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu on 9 September to take action and rescue the girls, the state government denied that any religious conversions took place in the school.

Saranya T Jaikumar, one of the members of the TNSCPCR, told South First that she got a call from one of the students from the hostel, who alleged religious conversions and requested her to rescue the girls from there.

“It has been more than three days since the NCPCR urged the government to take action, but the government has not done so. Without any actions and proper investigations, how sure is the government that there were no attempts to convert girls to another religion?” she asked.

‘Keep child safety above politics’

The government must keep child rights protection and safety above politics, she said, alleging that the social defence authorities were not doing their job correctly.

Jaikumar told South First that there were no proper facilities for the girl students in the hostel.

“One girl who had called me cried out for rescue and alleged that management was forcing them to convert to Christianity. Another girl echoed this, and almost all the 55 girls in the hostel were going through this,” she said.

Jaikumar also alleged that the school management was threatening the girls not to confess anything to the TNSCPCR.

“The victims have already turned hostile after talking to me. The management allegedly threatened them, called their parents, and forced them to make a written statement saying no conversion takes place here,” Jaikumar told South First.

She also said no government official had so far conducted a proper inquiry and rescued the girls from there.

Broken cameras 

During the inspection, the TNSCPCR found no appropriate facilities for the students at the hostel.

The team was shocked when it discovered the CCTV cameras were broken. When they questioned the management about it, there was apparently no proper response.

“There were broken CCTV cameras inside the premises, and these students’ safety was bleak already. Nothing was proper. There was no adequate water facility nor entertainment, but a mandatory Bible-reading session every day,” Jaikumar told South First.

As soon as the team started finding a lack of more basic facilities, they also checked the attendance of the school hostel. However, Jaikumar accused the management of poor maintenance of attendance.

“The school management forced the girls not to keep bindi or flowers, but only read and carry the Bible,” Jaikumar said.

Unregistered hostel 

The TNSCPCR also found that the hostel, Child Care Institution (CCI), was not registered under the Tamil Nadu Hostels and Homes for Women and Children (Regulation) Act of 2014.

It has since instructed the NCPCR, District Child Protection Unit (DCPO), and Child Welfare Committee (CWC) to rescue the girls.

In a letter to the Tamil Nadu DGP and Chief Secretary on 9 September, the NCPCR urged the state authorities to produce the girls before the CWC to record their statements over the forced religious conversion, and to give them counselling as per the Juvenile Justice Act of 2015.

Priyank Kanoongo, the chairperson of NCPCR,  sought arrangements to rehabilitate the students to their own houses or other suitable facilities as per the law.

Along with an FIR, the NCPCR also demanded the starting of proceedings against the school as it was running the hostel without proper registration.

It said it expected an action-taken report to be submitted within three days.

Officials from the state’s social welfare department didn’t respond to the attempts made by South First to reach them.