Remove AAP campaign video featuring children: NHRC to X

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) member Priyank Kanoongo on Monday directed social media platform X to immediately take down an objectionable video showing the alleged involvement of children in political campaigning by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi.

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Kanoongo also wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and requested him to consider issuing guidelines to political parties to refrain from using children in political activities.

In separate letters written to the CEC and Vinay Prakash, Resident Grievances Officer, X, Kanoongo said the Commission was deeply concerned about the participation of children in political campaigning activities.

“This practice not only violates the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India on February 5, 2024, but also contravenes Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, along with other relevant legal provisions,” Kanoongo wrote.

He said the commission took suo motu cognisance of the matter under relevant sections of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, and said it had come across a post on X wherein CM Atishi and Kejriwal had shared content/video depicting children directly involved in political campaigning activities for the Aam Aadmi Party.

The Commission admitted that though the model code of conduct for the forthcoming Assembly elections in Delhi has not yet come into force, the development called for an immediate intervention.

The NHRC also directed X to take urgent corrective measures to address the issue and file a report. “The Commission is of the firm view that the aforementioned post(s)/re-post(s) should be immediately removed/taken down and an action taken report (ATR) detailing the steps undertaken to address this issue must be submitted to the Commission within seven days,” Kanoongo wrote to the X.