Juvenile inmates beaten up by cops, hide scars

NOIDA: A health department team that visited the only home for juvenile offenders in Noida on Wednesday came across a group of inmates who had been beaten up allegedly by police before being sent to the home but were hiding the marks for fear of being punished again.
The team, headed by assistant chief medical officer VB Dhaka, has decided to write to senior superintendents of police, apprising them of the way minor offenders are treated. Sources said the 4-5 juveniles, aged 10-14 years, had been arrested for being part of a gang that stole mobile phones.


Sources said juvenile offenders picked up by police are often beaten up by cops during questioning. They are then sent to observation homes after a check-up, and from there to correctional homes.

At the Noida juvenile home, health and hygiene had always been an issue.

A visit by a TOI team in December last year had revealed serious flaws in the way the home was being run — inmates suffering from skin diseases and rashes, bullies often arm-twisting the younger ones to extort money and gutkas and cigarettes easily finding their way into the hands of the juveniles.

“Such things happen before police bring them to juvenile homes. They were scared to show the marks and so did not remove their clothes,” a source said.

The health officials who visited the home have now decided to instruct the authorities to examine each juvenile offender who is sent by the police. “We will also write to the SSPs concerned so that such incidents are not repeated,” he said.

A three-member team, including Dhaka, has been formed to look into the matter. The officials, during their visit, also sought the attendance register of the doctor who attends to inmates at the home. They also asked for health reports of a 17-year-old inmate who died of tuberculosis a few days ago.

“He had been undergoing treatment at the Bhangel community health centre from February 28 to May 21. He had been taken to the district hospital too. He was taken to these health centres at least 10 times,” said Dharmendra Maurya, a craft teacher who is looking after affairs at the juvenile home.

The health department team also took samples of 16 juvenile inmates who showed symptoms of TB.