Buddhia's feat brings worries to CRPF

Under attack for making four-and-half-year-old Orissa boy Buddhia undertake a 65-km grueling run, CRPF on Friday ordered a high-level inquiry by its Additional Director General into the incident.

CRPF Director General J K Sinha, ordered the inquiry and asked the Additional Director General (East) to conduct it on an urgent basis and report back to the headquarters, an official spokesman said. The move comes in the wake of the issuance of a notice by National Human Rights Commission to the CRPF DG in connection with the run sponsored by the central paramilitary force.

The spokesman said the decision to sponsor the event had been taken by the Additional Deputy Inspector General of CRPF in Bhubaneswar B S Gill and he had not sought any permission for this event from the headquarters.

The CRPF-sponsored record-breaking run on Tuesday has created a controversy with human rights groups and medical experts coming out with all the ill-effects of such a marathon on the child.

The NHRC has issued a notice to Orissa government and CRPF Director General seeking a report on the incident where a four-and-a-half year old boy was made to run a punishing 65 km in Bhubaneswar. Taking cognizance of media reports that Buddhia Singh was made to run the 65 km marathon on May two, the commission has directed that these reports be sent to the Orissa Chief Secretary and CRPF DG for comments in two weeks, an official release said in New Delhi.

Considering the media reports which raised the issue of human rights of the boy, NHRC said, "If the contents of various reports are true it raises the serious issue of violation of human rights of the child." A number of doctors had also voiced their concern on the issue saying long distance runs could make heart beat faster to meet the extra oxygen need which could lead to heart failure.

Further they said Buddhia's cartilages could face serious wear and tear, ultimately affecting his normal growth.

The CRPF-sponsored record-breaking run on Tuesday created a controversy with human rights groups and medical experts coming out with all the ill-effects of such a marathon on the child prodigy.

Starting his run from the Sri Jagannath Temple at Puri, Buddhia reached Bhubaneshwar, thereby making it into the Limca Book of Records by covering 65 kilometres in 7.02 hours.

Tuesday's run was sponsored by the CRPF, which had expressed its intention to adopt the child and develop him into a long-distance runner for the force.