The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken serious note of a video allegedly showing children involved in political campaigning for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). On Monday, NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo directed social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) to immediately remove the objectionable video and called for corrective action.
NHRC Expresses Concern Over Children’s Involvement
The NHRC member flagged concerns about children’s participation in political activities, highlighting its potential violation of various legal and ethical norms. The video, reportedly shared by AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, depicts children campaigning for the party.
In a letter addressed to Rajiv Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), and Vinay Prakash, Resident Grievances Officer of ‘X,’ Kanoongo emphasized the need for political parties to refrain from involving children in such activities. He urged the CEC to issue specific guidelines to prevent the exploitation of children in political campaigns.
Violation of Legal Provisions
In its official communication, the NHRC noted that the act of using children in political campaigns contravenes several legal provisions, including:
- Election Commission Guidelines: The video violates the Election Commission’s directives issued on February 5, 2024.
- Juvenile Justice Act: It contravenes Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which prohibits the exploitation of children.
While the Model Code of Conduct for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections has not yet come into effect, the NHRC stated that the incident requires immediate intervention.
NHRC’s Directive to Social Media Platform ‘X’
The NHRC has directed ‘X’ to take swift action by removing the video and filing an Action Taken Report (ATR) within seven days. In his letter, Kanoongo wrote, “The Commission is of the firm view that the aforementioned post(s)/re-post(s) should be immediately removed/taken down, and an ATR detailing the steps undertaken to address this issue must be submitted to the Commission.”
The NHRC urged the platform to ensure compliance with the guidelines to avoid further misuse of children in politically charged content.
Highlighting the broader implications, Kanoongo called upon the Election Commission to introduce detailed guidelines for all political parties, ensuring that children are not used in any form of political campaigning. He noted that such practices not only undermine the integrity of elections but also violate children’s rights.
