Three boys, all brothers aged between 7 and 10 years were chained in a Madrassa at the HSR layout area in Bengaluru.

The boys were rescued by the HSR police after they received a tip-off about the incident. DCP (South East) Boralingaiah said that a video of the incident also circulated on WhatsApp, which brought the police’s attention to the issue. The boys were chained for some hours during the day.

A team of HSR police who visited the madrassa in civilian clothes rescued the three children. They were reportedly chained in front of other students as a punishment for refusing to attend the madrassa. Their father Siraj Wahab, a labourer, claimed that he wanted his children to study, and hence resorted to the punishment when they refused to pay heed to his advice. 

Siraj and the teacher Mubarak Moulasaab were arrested on Friday and sent to judicial custody. They have been booked under Juvenile Justice Act. However, they were later let out on bail.

The children have been sent to a state home.

Kripa Alva, chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR), informed that the teacher and the parents have been asked to appear before the commission.

“The legal aspect apart, the commission’s immediate concern is to provide counselling to all the three students, since we have learnt that they are traumatized. Post that, we would take measures to understand whether their dislike is in going to the madrassa or attending school in general. If it is the latter, we would be required to provide them compulsory education under RTE,” she said.