New Delhi: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) directed the Chief Secretaries of all states and union territories not to discriminate against students in schools during the festival of Raksha Bandhan.

The commission requested all schools not to punish students if they come to school wearing a Rakhi or applying tilak and mehendi. The commission's chairman Priyank Kanoongo expressed concern about some incidents of discrimination in schools and said that students face harassment and discrimination by school teachers and other staff due to the celebration of festivals.

Giving punishment would be a violation of the RTE Act

School managements do not allow students to come to school wearing rakhi or applying tilak and mehendi on Raksha Bandhan festival and if they do so, they punish them physically as well as mentally. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights said that if such punishments are given in any school, it would be a violation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

NCPCR asked all the states and union territories to issue immediate instructions to the concerned officials to ensure compliance with the guidelines issued in this regard. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights said that all the officials should submit the compliance report in this regard by August 17.

At the same time, regarding this instruction of NCPCR, the Directorate of Education directed the principals of all government, aided and private schools to ensure that they do not follow any such practice in their school which discriminates against the students or which gives them corporal punishment.