A complaint was filed before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) alleging human rights violations of students being forced to go to the forest due to a lack of toilets at a Tribal Welfare Residential School in Bommareddygudem village, Telangana.

The complaint asserted that the school had a capacity of 150 students and 16 washrooms, but was accommodating 275 students, double its intended capacity. It was stated that out of 16 washrooms, 6 were completely non-functional, leaving only 10 for all students. The complainant mentioned that since the students were forced to wake up early to go to the forest, they were at risk of snake bites and public humiliation.

The complaint also mentioned that, to manage overcrowding in the school, the administration had removed cots from the rooms to accommodate up to 40 students in spaces meant for 25, even though the government had sanctioned Rs. 15 lakhs for the construction of additional washrooms and bathrooms. It was asserted that the present condition of the said school was contrary to the objectives of the Swachh Bharat Mission, and that despite national- and state-level funding and awareness drives, the children remained deprived of the very basic facilities the mission sought to guarantee.

NHRC stated that the present matter constituted a serious human rights violation if the allegations proved true. Therefore, the NHRC took cognizance of the complaint and directed the Registry to transmit it to the Collector and District Magistrate, Sangareddy District, Telangana, to submit an Action Taken Report within two weeks.

Appearances:

Complainant – Adv. Y. Balachander Reddy

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