Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR) has directed police to register criminal cases against media outlets and individuals who disclosed the identities of minor sexual abuse victims from Sanggo Residential School in Mebo, East Siang district.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the matter, the Commission acted after videos, photographs, and other media content revealing the victims’ identities were circulated on platforms including Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp. Among those named in the order is the media outlet Satik Samachar, which was found to have violated child protection laws through its coverage.
Such disclosures constitute a violation of Section 23 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, and Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The Supreme Court, in landmark rulings such as Nipun Saxena v. Union of India (2018) and Kinnori Ghosh v. Union of India (2024), has held that revealing the identities of child victims infringes their fundamental right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution.
The Superintendent of Police for East Siang district has been instructed to identify all media entities, digital platforms, and individuals responsible for publishing or circulating the sensitive content and to file First Information Reports against them. The Commission has made it clear that publishers and media owners will be held “jointly and severally liable” under the POCSO Act.
Those found guilty face imprisonment of six months to two years and fines of up to ₹2,00,000, depending on the applicable legal provisions. The order further warned that editors, publishers, and employees of media organisations involved in the violations could face criminal prosecution.
All identified media entities have been instructed to remove the content revealing the victims’ identities within 24 hours of receiving the order. Social media intermediaries such as Facebook and YouTube have also been directed to delete the related videos, photographs, and posts, block associated URLs, and prevent their re-uploading.
The District Magistrate has been directed to coordinate with the police and ensure that all media houses comply with the legal provisions protecting child victims’ privacy. Meanwhile, the Director of Information and Public Relations has been asked to issue a state-wide advisory reinforcing the prohibition against disclosing the identities of children affected by sexual offences.
The order also calls on investigating authorities to follow child-friendly procedures, prevent further media harassment, and provide psychological counselling to the victims. All relevant departments have been instructed to submit compliance reports within 72 hours, detailing the status of FIRs and identifying responsible entities.
The Commission, chaired by Ratan Anya, has reserved the right to approach the High Court for further directions and recommend disciplinary action against negligent officers. The order cautioned that any failure to comply would invite criminal prosecution, penalties, and possible contempt proceedings.
Additionally, the District Magistrate has been tasked with organising sensitisation workshops for journalists, police officials, school administrators, prosecutors, and community leaders to strengthen awareness of legal safeguards for child victims.
