Shillong, Mar 26: Social welfare minister Paul Lyngdoh has ruled out any reported attempt of religious conversion of the children, who were victims of food poisoning in their residential school in Karnataka, even as he urged the public and village headmen to lodge complaints about such matters, if any.
“Nobody even heard about such boys being indoctrinated and being kept in these homes for reasons which you have already spelled out,” the minister told reporters while replying to a query on religious conversion on Wednesday.
The minister’s attention was drawn to the “purpose” of free education provided to the state’s children in Karnataka, indicating the idea of religious conversion.
Following the food poisoning incident, which claimed lives of two children and hospitalisation of 22 others from Meghalaya, there has also been a demand for an investigation to find out the number of young boys and girls taken by various organisations for providing free education outside the state.
Assuring prompt government action on any complaint in this regard, he said, “We need formal complaints because, as you mentioned, there could have been consent given by parents or guardians in which case government has little role to play.”
The government would take cognizance if there is any specific complaint of minors being abused for the purpose of religious conversion, he said.
Asserting the government’s concern for safety of Meghalaya’s people even outside the state, he said, “The stand of the government has always been to ensure the safety of every Meghalayan, who travels or study outside the state.”
He mentioned that commissioner & secretary home visited the hospital in Karnataka where the two children died and others were undergoing treatment.
“On the part of the government, we will do everything to unearth the circumstances leading to the death of the two boys,” he added.
The secretary home will submit a formal report to the deputy chief minister in-charge home and the chief minister and the cabinet will take a call, Lyngdoh said.
