The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that a 16-year-old boy from the Shahjahanpur district of Uttar Pradesh was arrested and kept illegally at the Kasna jail as an adult in the Gautam Budh Nagar district for two months. It took six more days to shift him to a juvenile home in the district after the ossification test confirmed him as a minor. But he continues to remain in the juvenile home despite having been granted bail by the court, as his poor family could not manage the surety bond. Reportedly, he was arrested following protests by labourers in the district demanding a pay hike and improved working conditions.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of human rights violation of the victim. Therefore, it has issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Prisons Administration and Reform Services and the Director General of Police, calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks. It has also directed its Director General (Investigation) to depute a team of officers to conduct a spot enquiry and submit a report within a week.

According to the media report, carried on 16th June 2026, the boy received a phone call regarding a parcel in his name on 14th April 2026. However, upon his arrival, the police present at the location arrested him. An FIR was registered against him under several serious sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The police reportedly assaulted him and forced him to sign certain documents.

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NSK

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