Taking suo motu cognisance of a media report alleging that the police have occupied most of the school classrooms at a village in Posco project area of Jagatsinghpur district, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday issued notices to Orissa Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to submit their reports within four weeks.
There was a report in the media alleging that the police have occupied most of the school classrooms at Badagabapur village and converted schools into fortresses to fight those protesting against land acquisition. The NHRC observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise a serious issue of Right to Education of the children in Orissa and particularly in Jagatsinghpur district. The media report had alleged that students are scared of going to school because of the arms stocked on the premises.
Last week, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in its report had criticised the forcible occupation of parts of a primary school building in Balitutha village inside the Posco project area by the police.