Editor,
On the occasion of Children’s Day in India, let me take the readers back to the events that highlight the status of child safety system over the years in the context of Arunachal Pradesh. The following news headlines are excerpts from your esteemed daily covered over the years.
15 March, 2020: ‘VKV Sher student found hanging in hostel, dies on way to hospital, five booked’. A Class 6 student of the Vive-kananda Kendra Vidyalaya (VKV) in Sher, in Papum Pare district, was found hanging near the bathroom of the school’s hostel on Friday evening.
“This is not the first incident when students in the said school faced violence at the hands of other students. In the previous year too, there were reports of incidents of sodomy, wherein several students of Classes 9 and 10 were allegedly caught sodomizing junior students. “This is a serious case and we have urged the school’s management committee to install CCTV cameras in the school and organise counselling for the students,” stated Papum Pare Child Welfare Committee (CWC) chairperson Licha Tatam.
15 December, 2024: ‘School’s overhead water tank collapses, killing 3 students, injuring 2’. Three students of St Alphonsa School in Model Village, Naharlagun were killed and two others were injured when an overhead water tank collapsed and fell on them near the school’s assembly shed on Saturday. “Preliminary investigations suggest that the water tank may have exceeded its capacity. “The overhead water tank had been placed in the wrong location. It is the place where students play and stand for the assembly”.
25 September, 2024: ‘Yumken Bagra case: Court convicts 3 for sexual assault on 21 minors; sentencing today’. Hostel warden convicted for sexual assault of 21 students at a government-run residential school from 2014 to 2022.
16 September, 2025: ‘Student dies by suicide, foul play alleged’. A 13-year-old Class 7 student of the Government Middle School in Mani in Papum Pare district died by suicide on Sunday evening. The FIR read, “Despite being duty-bound, the hostel warden and authorities failed to promptly inform and withheld crucial information about the incident, thereby causing obstruction in timely help and evidence preservation. Their conduct amounts to criminal negligence and abetment.”
21 September, 2025: ‘KGBV student dies, hostel wardens detained’. A 13-year-old student of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Papum Pare district passed away on Saturday morning. Following her parents’ allegation that the hostel authorities delayed in providing her medical treatment, two female hostel wardens have been detained, the Sagalee police informed.
31 October, 2025: ‘Hostel warden arrested in Mebo school sexual assault case’. Boys’ hostel warden of Sanggo English School in Mebo in East Siang district arrested for sexually assaulting minor boy students of the hostel over a long period.
12 November, 2025: ‘POCSO court sentences man to 20 years’ RI’. A POCSO court in East Siang district sentenced a man to 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment in connection with a sexual assault case, along with fines.
10 November, 2025: ‘Sainik School officials arrested in connection with cadet’s death’. In a major development, the East Siang police have arrested three officials of the Sainik School in East Siang district in connection with the death of cadet Tadu Haro, who was found dead on the overhead water supply tank within the school campus on 1 November.
The aforementioned incidents are only a few of many such events. I am sure there must be many that happened and went unreported and many that might be happening now.
I would like to put some questions to the readers: how are we functioning as a society, as a community, as a family and most importantly, as individuals? Are our children safe at home, hostel or schools? Are the political representatives doing enough for the children of our state? Are the so-called student unions of the state fighting enough for child rights? Are we as parents, siblings or guardians heeding to the emotional needs of our little ones?
They say children are the future of a society, but are we doing enough to create safe and healthy environment for the children of our state?
In order to raise awareness on the importance of child-friendly environment I would like to quote Prof Bob Lonne of Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway: “It is easier to build strong children than to mend broken adults. And as such, children should be everybody’s responsibility.”
With this, I would like to leave the readers pondering about improving their role as individuals in carrying out their duty in creating a child-friendly society, because it is not considered a wise thing to sit and complain about the situation rather than doing something about it.
We are answerable to our little ones.
Taba Yani