Instead of the reported eight casualties, 16 children had actually died during the Dimasa-Zeme Naga ethnic conflict in the district of NC Hills, Assam, says a report of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which was asked by the Prime Minister’s Office to probe the incident.

The NCPCR team, comprising Dr Shantha Sinha, chairperson, NCPCR, Dr J M Lyngdoh, ex-chief election commissioner of India, Dipa Dixit, member, NCPCR, Enakshi Ganguly, a child rights expert, and Ramanath Nayak, consultant, NCPCR, recently visited eight camps — both Dimasa and Zeme Naga — in Haflong and Maibong areas.

“The survivors have received nothing in terms of compensation and many of them are yet to receive rations,” says the report, which is yet to be submitted to the PMO.

According to the report, in no camp, did any person/child eat more than “two meals a day”. All of them ate the same thing and no special nutritional supplements were provided to young children.

This was compounded by the fact that there were no anganwadi centres in the camps, says the team which was also to see the delivery of essential services to the displaced children, including food & nutrition, shelter, medical facilities and education.

With the H1N1 virus already spreading in the country, the commission has expressed its concern over “little or no access to medical facilities”.

Immunisation of children is an issue. “No doctors or regular health check- ups are done. There is also a possibility of epidemics of malaria and jaundice breaking out at any time,” the report notes.

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