Click to play videoNew Delhi: Embarrassed by reports of one of its MLA in Rajasthan forcing school students to donate blood on the occasion of the 65th birth anniversary of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, the Congress on Saturday promised to act against the MLA if the reports were found to be true.
Reacting to the alleged case of child abuse in Rajasthan's Chomu district by local MLA Bhagwan Sahai Saini, Congress Spokesperson Manish Tewari said that the matter will be investigated and if the incident was found to be true the strictest possible action would be taken.
"If the incident is found to be true then the strictest action would be taken against the culprit. It (blood donation by children) is extremely unfortunate. We would look into the matter," said Tewari.
"In this particular instance we are completely on the sane page. There is a level of sensitivity which needs to be displayed. The school authorities, too, should have ensured that the minors were not participating in the donation camp. We will investigate the matter and if there is any element of coercion in it then action would be taken. This is a serious issue and I am confident that the Rajasthan government will get into the bottom if it," added Tewari.
Jaipur District Magistrate Kuldeep Ranka said that a special committee had already been appointed to enquire into the matter.
"We have constituted a committee consisting of Additional District Magistrate and Chief Medical Officer who will enquire to see if there were any lapses. There was a medical camp in which a blood donation camp was organised and some students participated in it. According to reports some of them might be minors. We will speak to all the concerned people," said Ranka.
The Congress MLA had allegedly tried to show his loyalty to the Gandhi family by organising a blood donation camp to mark former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary on Thursday in which over 50 students from a nearby school were made to participate.
One of the 50 government school students who were allegedly asked to donate blood fell unconscious after the ordeal.
According to the universally accepted criteria donors must be between 18 and 55 years old with body weight not less than 45 kilograms.
On both counts forcing children to donate blood was against the accepted norms.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called for a bandh in Chomu to protest against forced blood donation by minors.
Angry residents of Chomu district also staged a protest against the Congress MLA.
The students' wing of BJP, held a rally and burned Saini's effigy, demanding action against him.
BJP workers have also alleged that the police have refused to file a case against the MLA.
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