New Delhi [India], January 20 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the reported sexual abuse of a girl belonging to the Scheduled Caste in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala and the arrest of 44 people so far out of 59 accused in the 30 FIRs in the matter. Reportedly, two of the accused are absconding abroad and the remaining 13 others are yet to be arrested.
According to an official release, the Commission has observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise a serious issue of the human rights violation of the victim girl. Therefore, it has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, in Kerala calling for a detailed report on the matter.
"It is expected to include the status of the FIR, her health and the medical care, counselling and compensation, if any provided to her in the reported matter within two weeks," the release said.
"According to the media report, carried on January 15, 2025, the girl, who is now 18 years old, has reportedly alleged in her complaint that she was sexually abused by several individuals. The matter came to light during counselling conducted by the Child Welfare Committee, after the victim's teachers at an educational institution, informed the panel about noticeable changes in her behaviour," it added.
On January 9, NHRC took a suo motu cognizance of a tragic incident where a 72-year-old man reportedly committed suicide on December 25 last year after being denied treatment under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) at a government-run hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
The victim, enrolled in the AB PM-JAY scheme, sought medical treatment at the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology but was denied coverage due to the alleged lack of state government orders, despite his eligibility.