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How Section 144 of CrPC was used to curb the branding of children using hot iron rods

Daagna, in local parlance, refers to an unscientific practice wherein young children, who are ailing with some undiagnosed sickness or the other, are poked by hot iron rods as a way to cure them.

section 144, section 144 crpc, hot iron branding, hot iron used on children, daagna madhya pradesh, madhya pradesh news Officials of Umaria district raising awareness against branding. (Express)

In a survey carried out by the field staff of Women and Child Development Department as many as 672 children that were registered with 763 anganwadis in Umaria, Manpur and Pali blocks of Umaria district in Madhya Pradesh have been found to have been victims of “daagna” or branding. Daagna, in local parlance, refers to an unscientific practice wherein young children, who are ailing with some undiagnosed sickness or the other, are poked by hot iron rods as a way to cure them. This inhumane practice is quite common in the tribal-dominated blocks of the district.

Swarochish Somvanshi, the District Collector of Umaria, found these results alarming and quickly swung into action. The 2012 batch officer said he has tried to raise awareness about the unscientific practice by engaging with the common people and explaining to them how daagna hurts the children instead of curing them.

In May this year, two months after he joined as the Collector, Somvanshi imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Section 144 gives the government the “power to issue order in urgent cases of nuisance of apprehended danger”. It bars all civilians from carrying weapons, including lathis, sharp-edged weapons, or firearms in public places. Somvanshi invoked this section of the CrPC to warn people against branding their children. If they violate it, they would face the legal consequences.

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In fact, he launched a project named Sanjeevani to tackle the menace.

This involved regular monitoring of children every Tuesday — celebrated as Mangal Diwas — to ensure they are getting nourishing food and to check they are not being branded. It was also an opportunity to ensure malnourished and underweight children are provided health facilities.

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When the first case of branding was reported, a case was registered in Manpur Police Station to spread the message that branding was illegal. “I am not so much for registering FIRs because in most cases parents and grandparents do it and in some cases, midwives and quacks. Enforcement is not the solution, the awareness has to come from within,” said Somvanshi.

First uploaded on: 23-12-2019 at 04:41 IST
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