Child’s parents, now no more, had borrowed a loan; FIR ordered against Bank Manager

Mysore/Mysuru: How far can banks go to recover loans? Shockingly, a bank in Kodagu District has issued notices to a child for loan repayment and also has asked the child to report to the bank branch to put signatures on documents.

This incident came to light at Zilla Panchayat Hall where a child from Kodagu narrated her ordeal in front of the Chairman of Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Dr. Anthony Sebastian, who was holding a meeting with NGOs and Child Rights Officers yesterday.

It was a divisional-level interactive meeting on how COVID has caused irreparable damage to the lives of children. Little ones from Mysuru, Mandya, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar and Ramanagara participated. It was jointly organised by the Commission, District Administration, Zilla Panchayat, Women and Child Welfare Department, Department of Public Instruction, Kannada and Culture Department and Child Protection Unit, Mysuru.

The teary-eyed child from Kodagu told the Commission Chairman that she was being harassed by the Bank Manager in Madikeri to repay the loan borrowed by her parents. “Both my parents have passed away and the bank has issued notices for repayment. Also, the Bank Manager has asked me to come to the bank branch and affix my signatures in some documents and due to this harassment, I am unable to attend school,” she said.

Violation of child rights

Shocked by the child’s revelation, Commission Chairman Dr. Anthony Sebastian said that if the Bank Manager has issued notices to the child, it amounts to violation of child rights. He has directed the officials from Women and Child Development Department to verify the facts and lodge an FIR against the Bank Manager if he has issued notices.

The Commission works for the welfare of the children on a humanitarian basis and it protects children who have left their houses, been forced to beg and are facing harassment. It rescues such children and provides them protection and basic amenities.

Apart from this child from Kodagu, several children in the region narrated their woes that ranged from lack of basic amenities including toilets and drinking water, lack of teachers, computers and even buses to reach schools.

They highlighted how COVID has disrupted bus services and how they are forced to walk at least three kilometres to reach their schools.

Missing mother

A child from H.D. Kote who is presently being taken care of by a Mysuru-based NGO told the Commission that her mother went missing three years ago and despite a Police complaint being lodged, her mother has not returned home. She appealed to the Commission to exert pressure on the Police to find her mother.

Many children also spoke about how their parents and family members living in Karnataka-Kerala border have migrated to the neighbouring State (particularly Wayanad) seeking employment in estates and how the children are forced to discontinue their education. The issue was also raised by Saraswathi who heads the Rural Literacy and Health Programme (RLHP).

Commission member M.L. Parashuram presided over the meeting. Members D. Shankarappa, H.C. Raghavendra, Stanley, Deputy Directors of Women and Development Department (Mysuru) Basavaraju, (Chamarajanagar) Geethalakshmi, (Kodagu) Manjunath and (Mandya) S. Raju Murthy and other officers were present.