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CBFC Chief Prasoon Joshi Posts A Stirring Poem About Child Sexual Abuse On Facebook

Strong message.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images

The brutal murder and suspected sexual assault of a 7-year-old boy in Gurgaon's Ryan International School on 8 September has left the country reeling in shock. The lapses in the school's security and its CEO's deplorable attempt to shirk off responsibility have angered many. Violent protests broke out outside the school when news of the gruesome crime became public.

In the aftermath of the gruesome crime, many celebrities used social media to express their horror and rage. On Monday, Prasoon Joshi, the newly-appointed head of CBFC, wrote a heartfelt poem on Facebook to stress the gravity of sexual abuse and violence against children and the shameful nature of such a crime in a civilised society.

Written in Hindi, the poem talks about how it is time to acknowledge the terror that sexual abuse wreaks on a child's mind and that humanity needs to hang its head in shame that children are being abused while we do nothing. Joshi also says that now is not the time for grief alone, it is also time for thought, difficult questions and action so that incidents like these don't recur. He ends the poem with: "Rampant cases of child abuse have shaken the soul. We cannot let this happen anymore. – #PrasoonJoshi".

On Saturday, 9 September, Bollywood actress Renuka Shahane, also posted a cutting message on Facebook, raising pointed questions about the school's lackadaisical attitude towards security, due to which the accused was able to bring a knife into the premises and carry out the crime. She also made an open appeal to schools to be more vigilant while hiring staff because the lives and well-being of hundreds of children depend on it.

Both Joshi's and Shahane's posts have gone viral. At the time of writing this article, Joshi's poem had over 4,000 reactions and 365 shares. Shahane's blistering post has been shared over 800 times and received over 2,000 reactions.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.