PASIGHAT : East Siang Police has successfully completed the first phase of its flagship child safety initiative, Project Muskaan, and announced the launch of Muskaan 2.0 to further strengthen child protection measures across the district.
Implemented between October 2025 and March 2026, the first phase covered 104 schools and reached 16,897 students through the Police Ki Pathshala programme. The initiative provided age-appropriate awareness sessions on child rights, good touch and bad touch, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, cyber safety and bullying prevention.
As part of the project, Child Safety Complaint Boxes were installed in all 104 schools to provide children with a safe platform to report concerns. During the implementation period, 45 complaints were received and resolved through counselling as they did not fall under the provisions of the POCSO Act. The initiative also led to the identification and registration of three POCSO cases for legal action.
Project Muskaan also focused on strengthening institutional capacity by organising 10 specialised training programmes for police personnel on child-friendly policing and effective community outreach.
Students were taken on educational visits to Ane’s Home, the child-friendly facility at the Women Police Station, to familiarise them with child-sensitive support systems. They also participated in live demonstrations and test calls to Dial 112, Childline 1098 and the Police Control Room to improve awareness of emergency response mechanisms and child protection services.
The initiative was further strengthened with the association of actor and public figure Chum Darang as the Child Safety Ambassador of Project Muskaan. The project has also received appreciation from the Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR) for its innovative approach and has been widely covered in local and national media.
Announcing Muskaan 2.0, East Siang Superintendent of Police Pankaj Lamba said the next phase would build on the achievements of the programme by continuing school-based awareness campaigns while expanding outreach to parents and teachers.
He said Parent-Teacher Meetings would be utilised as platforms for structured sensitisation programmes, while dedicated orientation and capacity-building sessions would be organised for teachers. Regular monitoring and maintenance of Child Safety Complaint Boxes would also be ensured to facilitate prompt response and effective grievance redressal.
East Siang Police expressed confidence that Muskaan 2.0 would further strengthen the district’s child protection framework by promoting greater community participation and fostering a safer, more informed and child-friendly environment.
