NHRC notice to Karnataka govt over 'practice' of neck-deep burying of children in compost pits

New Delhi: The NHRC has sent a notice to the Karanataka government over the alleged practice, in some parts of the state, of neck-deep burying of children in compost pits to find cure for their deformities, officials said on Monday.

The Commission has observed that the ritual appears "weird, unethical and cruel towards poor kids, who are being treated with indignity in the name of faith," the rights' body said in a statement.

"The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that children with special needs were buried neck-deep in compost pits in Kalaburagi, Karnataka under the belief that exposure to sharp rays during a solar eclipse will cure them of their deformities," it said.

The incidents were reported from three villages in the district -- Taj-Sultanpur on the outskirts of Kalaburagi town and Ainolli and Gadi-Lingadalli villages in Chincholi Taluk, it said.

Reportedly, following a tip-off, the district child protection task force had rescued the children and reunited them with their families after a medical examination, the rights panel said.

The Commission has observed that such rituals tantamount to violation of human rights of the victim children. There is a need to sensitise the authorities as well as the parents of such children not to victimise the young ones in the name of blind faith, it added.

Accordingly, the NHRC has issued a notice to the Karnataka government through its chief secretary, seeking a detailed report.