The Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) has pulled up the Shivajinagar police for allegedly detaining five children and thrashing them in connection with an incident of theft. Commission’s chairperson Susieben Shah said the police can, in no case, beat children up even if a crime has been committed by them.

A hearing in this connection was conducted at the commission’s HQ on Tuesday, an official release by the commission said. “The commission has instructed the police to adhere to children’s rights. We also instructed them to complete the investigation within seven days and a detailed report be submitted to the commission,” Shah said. Additional Director General of Police Deepak Pandey, senior inspector of Shivajinagar police station Bapurao Deshmukh along with the parents of these children were present for the hearing.