The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the apex body for child rights in the country, has ordered a probe into the activities of Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) and its secretary IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar.
According to the reports, NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanungo has written a letter to the Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana, noting that they have received serious complaints against the TSWREIS regarding irregularities in the running of the schools, hostels and other institutions managed by the TSWREIS.
The TSWREIS was set up by the Telangana government in 2014 to provide quality education to needy and deprived children and administer the various schools, colleges, and hostels run by the Telangana state government.
#Breaking
— Legal Rights Protection Forum (@lawinforce) March 25, 2021
The @NCPCR_ has taken cognizance of our complaint against TSWERIS-SWAERO & termed our allegations as serious and are in violation of Art 25, 28(3) of Constitution of India & various provisions of Juvenile Justice Act. (1/n) https://t.co/6wHtEQUwsx pic.twitter.com/fQiHDV3R9f
NCPCR seeks inquiry into allegations of misconduct of IPS officer
The letter also states that Dr RS Praveen Kumar, IPS, the secretary of TSWREIS, is allegedly running the government organisation as if it were his own personal fiefdom. Controversial Telangana IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar had recently courted a massive controversy after being caught in a video asking children to take an oath, pledging that they would not follow any Hindu rituals and traditions in the future.
The letter written by NCPCR states, “The complainant has levelled serious allegations against Dr R.S. Praveen Kumar, IPS, Secretary, TSWREIS wherein the complainant has stated that Dr R.S. Praveen Kumar has built up a private society called SWAEROES within this Government organisation and that SWAEROES has evolved its own SWAEROES pledges, SWAEROES anthem, SWAEROES Guru Mantra which is being administered in TSWREIS schools/colleges”.
Further, the letter reads, “The complainant stated that there is constant day to day interference by SWAEROES volunteers in all aspects of the functioning of the state-run, taxpayer funded TSWREIS schools, college and hostels and that due to the wide coverage in the media, an impression is sought to be created that it is SWAEROES that is running hundreds of educational institutions with its own funds when the fact is that these institutions are being run by the State Government”.
Christian evangelical organisation are being given free access to the children in govt-run school, says NCPCR
The NCPCR has also suspected the role of Christian evangelical organisation in the functioning of these educational institutions. In the complaint, the NCPCR has stated, “The complainant further alleges that Christian religious preachers are being given free access to the children in the state run social welfare hostels and all these children, irrespective of their ancestral religious beliefs are forced to participate in Christian religious worship. He also alleges that holidays have been altered for Hindu festivals, preventing the children from travelling home during the Hindu festivals and that the children have complained to their parents about the same as well.”
The child rights body has also demanded the Telangana government to urgently investigate these allegations against the TSWREIS, the controversial IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar and his private organisation SWAEROES. The NCPCR has also asked the Telangana government to inspect the schools, colleges, orphanages and hostels run by TSWREIS-SWAEROES and submit a report on its findings to the NCPCR within ten days.
The letter from the NCPCR said that these allegations seriously jeopardise the rights and freedoms of children.
Telangana IPS officer was caught promoting anti-Hindu propaganda to students
Earlier, we had reported in detail how the Hinduphobic act of a serving police officer in Telangana created a massive uproar on the internet. Several people had accused Kumar of promoting anti-Hindu propaganda among students.
A video of RS Praveen, currently the secretary of Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS), had gone viral on the internet where he was seen taking oath along with several people strongly affirming their disbelief in the existence of Hindu deities and their traditions.
IPS officer making people take pledge….
— Srikanth (@Srikanth4Bharat) March 15, 2021
In the pledge
– ” I don’t believe Lord Ram or Krishna “
– ” I don’t believe Ganesh it Gowri
– “here by I won’t follow any Hindu rituals not traditions”.
All in the name of jaiBhim #SuspendPraveenSwaero pic.twitter.com/Uiz3KDn7qS
In the video that had gone viral, IPS officer Praveen Kumar was seen administering an oath to the young students pledging to not follow any Hindu rituals.
“I do not have faith in Gowri, Ganapathi or other Hindu gods. I will not worship them. I do not accept the concept of avatars of God. I will not do Sraadha Karma, nor do Pinda Daan. I will not do anything that is against the principles and teachings of Buddha. I will not consume alcohol. I do not believe in Rama, Krishna. I will not worship them,” Praveen Kumar dictated the oath to those innocent children.
Complaint filed against IPS officer
Following this, a complaint was filed by Hindu activist group – Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF) against RS Praveen Kumar accusing him of perpetuating anti-social activities by promoting the anti-Hindu ideology and corrupting the minds of children studying in schools/hostels run under the aegis of Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS).
In a complaint to Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and the Department of Personnel and Training, the LRPF had alleged that Praveen Kumar had initiated a movement called SWAEROES or (Social Welfare AEROES), which is indulging in highly enraging anti-social activities s by poisoning the minds of little children and the society at large in the name of upliftment of poor SC students and providing quality education.
Our complaint filed against Telangana Cadre IPS officer Mr. RS Praveen Kumar has been forwarded to Manmeet Kaur Nanda ji, Deputy Secretary, @DoPTGoI for necessary action. https://t.co/8EigBTHzmh
— Legal Rights Protection Forum (@lawinforce) March 17, 2021
“Such dubious activities in the name of welfare must stop, and punitive measures must be adopted to bring such state actors working in a non-stately actor fashion to Justice in the larger interest of public peace and maintenance of Law & Order”, the complaint stated.
The complaint further alleged that RS Praveen Kumar has been continuing in the same position and department for more than seven years of the long period, which is a contravention to the general practice of the Department of Personnel & Training. Besides this, he was recently promoted as Additional Director General of Police without having any experience in serving as a full-time Police Officer, the letter added.
The letter also stated that Praveen Kumar and SWAEROES have “reportedly taken complete control of hundreds of taxpayer-funded, government-run educational institutions”. The complaint said that as part of the Buddhist teaching forced upon them, children’s heads are regularly tonsured and that they are sent home with cleanly shaved heads.
