The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a show-cause notice to the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand, asking why compensation of Rs 5 lakh each should not be paid to the families of two sisters who tragically died from burn injuries. The incident occurred in November last year when the sisters fell into a tub of hot starch from midday meal rice on their school campus in Palamu.
The NHRC notice holds the district administration and the state government accountable for various lapses and delays in providing adequate treatment to the victims, which ultimately resulted in their deaths. The victims were just 3 and 4.5 years old.
The NHRC labeled the incident as a violation of human and fundamental rights and demanded a response from the chief secretary within six weeks. Failure to comply could lead to further actions under The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.
The tragic incident was brought to the attention of the NHRC by a rights activist from Koderma, Onkar Vishwarkarma. He accused the district administration and the state government of multiple failures in providing appropriate treatment and conducting a thorough investigation.
In response to this complaint, the NHRC directed the Palamu deputy commissioner to conduct a comprehensive probe and submit an action taken report by December 28. However, a reminder had to be sent in March when the Palamu administration failed to comply. Eventually, on June 7, the state women, child development, and social security department submitted a detailed action taken report, stating that action had been taken against the school principal and staff of the anganwadi centre, who were held responsible for the incident.
The report also mentioned that the victims were initially admitted to the Daltonganj hospital and then referred to Rims the following day. It further stated that the district administration provided financial assistance of Rs 50,000 to the victims’ parents before they were admitted to Rims.
However, both of the young girls tragically passed away during treatment on December 6 and 7.
There seems to be conflicting reports regarding the treatment received by the victims. The Palamu police report forwarded by the child development and social security department stated that the girls were initially treated at Daltonganj but were then taken home by their parents due to poverty and lack of funds. On the other hand, the DCWO, Palamu, reported that the victims were immediately admitted to the Tarhasi PHC by the district administration, then transferred to Daltonganj hospital, and finally to Rims in Ranchi.
The NHRC questioned why the victims were not immediately transferred to Rims when they were referred by the medical officer in Daltonganj. They also raised concerns about the lack of immediate financial assistance, the delay in attending to the victims by the district administration, and the failure to provide an ambulance for their transfer to Rims. The NHRC held the school management, district administration, and state machinery responsible for the incident due to their careless and negligent conduct.
This notice from the NHRC serves as a significant development in seeking justice for the tragic loss of the two young sisters. It highlights the importance of ensuring timely and proper treatment for victims and holds those responsible accountable for their actions. The show-cause notice aims to initiate a response from the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand and establishes the NHRC’s commitment to upholding human rights and fundamental values.
