Indian human rights body demands answer over deaths of hundreds of indigenous schoolchildren

MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - India's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has accused the western state of Maharashtra of negligence over the "shocking and painful" deaths in the past decade of more than 700 indigenous children in schools run by the authorities.

It was the second time in two months that the commission has criticised the state's care of its indigenous people. Last month, the NHRC asked state authorities for a detailed report on the deaths of more than 600 indigenous children from malnutrition.