Boy walks into police station to lodge complaint against stepmother; SCPCR orders inquiry

All police stations should have a child-friendly atmosphere, says Commission

The Eluru II-Town Police were startled to see a young boy walk into the station seeking to lodge a complaint against his stepmother recently.

Sai Dinesh, a Class IV student, told the police that his stepmother was harassing him and meting out punishment.

Circle Inspector P. Chandrashekar, who gave the boy a patient hearing, enquired into the matter. He later summoned the boy’s parents to the police station, counselled them and bound them over.

“The boy walked into the police station wrapped only in a towel at around 11 a.m. and alleged that his mother was not allowing him to wear clothes of his choice, and was harassing and punishing him severely,” the Circle Inspector said.

“On Sunday, after his bath, Sai Dinesh went to his wardrobe and picked out some clothes. His stepmother apparently objected to his choice of clothes, which was when he walked directly to the police station to lodge a complaint against her,” Mr. Chandrashekar said.

The police had in the past summoned the child’s parents for allegedly torturing him, and had counselled them to mend their ways. The police had also asked Sai Dinesh to come to the station if he faced any problem in the future. This gave the boy the confidence to come to the police station directly, Mr. Chandrashekar said.

Meanwhile, the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) has ordered an inquiry into the issue.

The police, Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) personnel should give counselling to the boy and his family members, through qualified counsellors, SCPCR Chairman K. Appa Rao told The Hindu on Tuesday.

“Police stations should have a child-friendly atmosphere, a separate room for dealing with issues related to children in the station, and a Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU), which should coordinate with CWC, Juvenile Justice Board and the Women Development and Child Welfare (WD&CW) Department officials to tackle issues related to children,” Mr. Appa Rao said.

The DCPU and the II Town police have been asked to keep an eye out and follow up on the case, Mr. Appa Rao said.