NHRC has initiated a suo motu case following serious allegations that minor children were mobilised and used as shields during a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest held at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on 2 October.
In response, the rights body issued urgent notices to four key authorities—the Mumbai Police Commissioner, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), social media platform X, and Maharashtra’s Women and Child Development Department—demanding action-taken reports within one week. While the demonstration was originally organised to raise political and administrative demands, viral video footage and digital communications surfaced alleging that underaged youths were deliberately brought into the demonstration.
In its proceedings, the Commission prioritised child welfare, directing state law enforcement to lodge First Information Reports (FIRs) wherever cognisable offences arise while instructing digital platforms to safeguard electronic evidentiary trails.
Digital Trails Under Scrutiny
Acting on complaints supported by circulating video clips and purported group communications, the rights panel directed law enforcement to establish accountability and forensically preserve all relevant digital exchanges.
NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo noted that the commission received evidence indicating prior coordination on messaging platforms regarding the mobilisation of young minors. In its official directive, the NHRC instructed the Mumbai Police Commissioner to “register an FIR forthwith wherever commission of cognisable offences is disclosed” and ordered the state’s Women and Child Development Department to guarantee immediate “rescue, care, and protection of children as per the Juvenile Justice Act”.
Concurrently, the Commission instructed MeitY and X Corp’s grievance officer to preserve IP records, URLs, and account metadata, while firmly stipulating that authorities “shall ensure that the identity, privacy, dignity and best interests of the child/children are protected throughout the proceedings” to prevent unwarranted public exposure.
Unauthorised Mobilisation
The demonstration at the iconic Shivaji Park grounds—staged on Gandhi Jayanti—was organised by the CJP to register grievances against administrative and electoral authorities.
However, local authorities noted that the gathering lacked statutory administrative clearances, leading Mumbai Police to independently file an FIR against the protest organisers and several hundred participants for an unauthorised assembly. Public scrutiny intensified rapidly online after multiple clips surfaced showing adolescent boys standing in the midday sun, appearing uninformed about the slogans or the core agenda of the agitation.
Organisers, including CJP convener Abhijeet Dipke and associates, faced severe public backlash and legal scrutiny under provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, which strictly prohibits exposing minors to situations of potential distress, physical hazard, or using them to deter routine police duties.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At The Logical Indian, we believe that the right to peaceful assembly and civic dissent forms the bedrock of a vibrant democracy; however, this sacred right must never compromise the innocence, safety, and dignity of our children.
Minors lack the developmental agency to navigate volatile political settings, and placing them in environments that risk heat exhaustion, legal confrontation, or online vilification undermines the very ethics of constructive civic engagement. As a society, our collective responsibility must lie in nurturing, educating, and shielding our youth from partisanship rather than reducing them to visual instruments for political optics.
True democratic maturity requires organisers and institutions alike to conduct dissent with empathy, adherence to the rule of law, and absolute regard for human welfare. How can civil society and political outfits ensure that democratic spaces remain vibrant without ever drawing vulnerable children into the crossfire of political agendas?
