Save Aarey movement has witnessed unprecedented sabotage of democracy, initially Tree Authority ignoring more than 1.25 lakhs objections and passing the proposal to cut 2702 trees in Aarey. In the second major set back to democracy, a probe against innocent children protesting to save Aarey Forest is being carried out.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has asked the deputy director of education, Mumbai division, to probe into allegations of school students being forced to take part in a protest against a Metro car shed at Aarey Colony. The action by NCPCR came on a complaint from non-profit Legal Rights Observatory (LRO), which said that dragging children to protests exposes them to risks and deprives them of education.
The real question arises does the complainant have any evidence that 'children have been forced' to come for protests. In response to the notice, Avkash Jadhav, head of the department of history at St Xavier’s College said that "Most students who participated in the protests came voluntarily. Children took part in the agitation they are concerned about nature."
Children are taught the valour of Bhagat Singh in the classroom but when they try to execute their theory into practice they are snubbed. This is the hypocrisy of our education. Along with compassion, love, curiosity, education should teach children courage. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam while addressing youth on the topic 'Creative Leadership for Transforming Societies' said that "A leader must have a vision and courage to take decisions." If the state punishes children who have shown the courage to speak up their minds, then the state is encouraging cowardice & hypocrisy within children.
To prove his heliocentric theory that the sun is at the centre and earth revolves around the sun, Galileo had to gather great courage to fight against the Church who forced its geocentric theory (earth is at the centre of the solar system) upon him. Srinivasa Ramanujan, the renowned Indian mathematician had to summon the courage to fight against poverty and lack of formal training in Mathematics during his earlier days. Mahatma Gandhi found the courage to fight against apartheid in South Africa. If we have a dream to make our children world leaders, scientists, mathematicians, or achieve success in their fields, courage is important. Courage can be taught in the classroom but needs to be practised outside it.
In a letter sent to the deputy director of education (DyDE) on September 25, NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo said "Perusal of the complaint indicates that school children are involved in various non-educational activities which not only seems to be a violation of child rights but also a matter of concern from the safety point of view of the children." LRO has sought proceedings under Section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act. It says anybody having entrusted with the care of children can't expose them to any act that can create unnecessary mental or physical suffering. Violators can be jailed up to six months.
Who is violating the right of every child to breathe clean and fresh air? The government that is adamant about its unsustainable development and destroying the forest or the citizens, environmentalists, and NGOs who are fighting to protect their rights? How can children, schools or citizens who dare to speak against the destruction of forest be considered as violators? Does the government want to breed a generation that doesn't question, doesn't protest and stays meek and apathetic to their contemporary affairs? Moreover, these peacefully protesting children didn't engage in any foul language or offensive behaviour.
Arundhati Chavan, president, PTA United Forum says that children when being made a part of protest can have an adverse effect on them like aggression when they grow up into adults!
Aggression increases when one suppresses freedom of expression of children and not when they are allowed to express themselves with a protest. A new study linking higher levels of air pollution to increased teenage delinquency is a reminder of the importance of clean air and the need for more foliage in urban spaces, a Keck School of Medicine of USC researcher said. Mumbai's air in 2018 was the most polluted in 20 years. Mumbai is the fourth largest polluted megacity of the world. If anyone has to be blamed for increasing the aggression in children, it is the bureaucracy that is rapidly robbing away the green cover of the city and definitely not the peaceful protests carried out by the children.