more-in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah joins the growing number of social media users who are naming the playschool where a sexual assault on a child was reported. This is in contravention of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 that seeks to protect the child’s identity. The Chief Minister made the name public on Saturday on his official Twitter handle. The move was, however, quickly rescinded. MLA Arvind Limbavalli, who took part in a dharna at HAL Police Station demanding that the culprits be caught, named the school in at least three tweets. While Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has already sent notices to two newspapers for publishing the names of the school and the victim, the body is wondering how to contain the damage being caused on social media. “We will issue a statement on Monday asking people to refrain from using the name of the school,” said Kripa Alva, Chairperson, KSCPCR. “From our experience, any student of the playschool will end up facing questions about this incident,” she said. Section 23 of the POCSO Act specifies that no reports shall disclose the identity of a child, including name, address, photograph, family details, school, neighbourhood or any other particulars which may lead to disclosure of identity of the child. Violation would attract imprisonment for a minimum of six months. Recently, the KSCPCR had reprimanded a member of the committee for publishing photos of his visit to the school, which was believed to have revealed the name of the school. Box: Schools must follow norms, else face action: Police commissioner Bengaluru: Following the sexual assault on a minor girl at a playschool, Police Commissioner Praveen Sood has directed schools to follow the mandatory security measures or face the consequences. The measures include fixing CCTV cameras in schools, background verification of all staff and supervisors for every floor. “Schools should have these measures in place or face penal action in case of any eventuality,” he said. With eight FIRs filed by parents of children enrolled in the playschool, Mr. Sood said police would visit their homes to record statements so that the child should not have any inhibition opening up. “Since the statement of the victim before a magistrate is mandatory in POCSO cases, we are requesting the magistrate for a convenient place other than court, and seeking permission for parents to accompany the children so that it will not mentally affect the child,” he said. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has tweeted: “Education & Women & Child Dev Depts must ensure strict implementation of Child Protection Policy in schools. Time for a public info campaign.”

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