Punjab child panel orders action against Ludhiana factory owner over ‘Taliban-style’ punishment

Punjab State Child Rights Protection Commission Chairman Kanwardeep Singh has taken a suo motu notice of the ‘Taliban-style’ punishment given by a factory owner in Ludhiana.

As per reports, a cloth factory owner subjected a woman and her three daughters to public humiliation with a punishment for the alleged theft. Their faces were blackened and they were paraded with a placard reading “I am a thief” hanging from their necks. “This act is a serious violation of children’s rights,” said the Chairman.

Considering the gravity of the matter, the Chairman has directed the Police Commissioner of Ludhiana to immediately register a case under Sections 75 and 79 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, along with relevant sections of the Child Labour (Prevention and Regulation) Act, 1986, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The Chairman ordered strict action against the accused and instructed the Police Commissioner to submit an action-taken report by January 23.

The Chairman also directed the Police Commissioner to take stringent action against persons circulating photographs of the children, in accordance with Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2015.