New Delhi: The Supreme Court was informed that Biting, pinching, restriction on movement, withholding food, rest and use of toilet, and using abusive languages are some of the methods deployed in child care institutions across the country to discipline children admitted there.

This was revealed in a survey conducted by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in 2016-2017 in association with NGO Childline. Advocate Aparna Bhat made this submission before a bench led by Justice MB Lokur, which is hearing a matter related to exploitation of children in shelter homes and orphanages.

The NCPCR had covered 9,000 homes and the regressive methods to discipline children were found in 4,416 homes. Bhat, who is assisting the bench, also revealed a startling discrepancy in the government data on number of children living in such institutions, leaving the judges baffled.

According to her, the NCPCR survey, commissioned by the Centre, showed that 4.73 lakh children were living in over 9,000 shelter homes. However, the latest government affidavit filed before the top court in March said that only 2.61 lakh children were living in 8,734 homes. “It is distressing to see that children have been reduced to numbers. They are children. Even they have heart and a soul. This is a very serious matter,” the bench said.

“Two lakh children, where are they? Where do we trace them,” Justice Lokur asked the Centre’s advocate, R Balasubramanyam, who suggested there could be an error in the NCPCR survey. The lawyer said the child care institutions might have given inflated figures to get more aid.