Post mortem reports fail to cut ice with public: Final word yet to be said
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 10 2019 -

It is obvious that the two post mortem reports of Ningthoujam Babysana, which all pointed to suicide, have failed to cut ice with the public, judging from the massive response which the Statewide bandh call received from the public, especially in Imphal.

The same must be the case in the other valley districts.

Remember this was the second consecutive day in which a bandh was imposed on the same issue, the earlier one coming in the form of the Thangmeiband bandh, the locality to which the child belonged to.

It is also obvious that other than assuring that the case would be handed over to an independent body like the CBI, the State Government is clueless on how to deal with the matter.

No that anyone would blame the State Government on this, for what is being witnessed today is the cumulative results of the past decades, where State Government institutions have not been able to instil confidence in the public, and this is perhaps best exemplified in the call for an independent body to probe the case.

The trouble at the moment is, no one seems to know what the response of the CBI would be like.

Will it respond positively and take up the case or will it turn the other way round ? More importantly how long would it take for the Central agency to respond to the approach of the Government.

The last word is yet to be said but the period from July 18 to August 9 is indeed a long time, especially when it comes to a case as sensitive as the present one.

Nothing final, but already the Principal of the school where the little child was found dead and her immediate family members have suddenly become the hate object of quite a large number of people.

Even as the furore over the death of the young girl child continues to simmer, the Education (S) Department has issued a notification reminding all of the guidelines/rules and regulations for establishment/running of hostels or boardings in educational institutions laid down by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights.

Apart from providing link address of the NCPCR, the Education Department has also invited suggestions for running hostels/boarding houses so that the same may be incorporated here.

Hope the notification is taken due note of by all schools and those who have opened or are planning to open a hostel and suggestions are forwarded so that the same may be incorporated in tune with the unique situation of the place.

Moreover whatever is not suitable for the place in the guidelines given by the NCPCR may be discussed and studied together.

This is a serious issue and should grab the attention of all running hostels/boarding houses in the State, particularly in Imphal.

Apart from this the School Education Department may also seriously study the option of physically inspecting some of the hostels so that an example may be set that not anyone can run and manage a hostel/boarding house according to his or her likes or dislikes.

A common guideline will ensure that all hostels/boarding houses adhere to a common set of rules and regulations and this will certainly go some way in ensuring the safety of the young children.