So far, the police has managed to trace and nab one juvenile. (Representational)

The Delhi government Thursday alleged “grave lapses” on the part of the staff and management of an NGO-run observation home, from which 11 juveniles fled last night after allegedly injuring the private security guards deployed there.

Delhi Women and Child Development Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam made the observation after inspecting the facility along with the secretary and director of the department. So far, the police has managed to trace and nab one juvenile, he said.

All the 11 inmates were brought to the home, run by NGO Prayas, over the last few days. They were kept separately, away from the other inmates, under guidelines put in place following the outbreak of Covid-19 in the city.

“Under the new norms, any juvenile at conflict with the law brought to our homes are quarantined for two weeks. They are kept in separate rooms within the same premises of the correction homes as a precautionary measure. Accordingly, these 11 juveniles were also kept separately,” Gautam said,

According to the management of the home, around 7 pm last night, the juveniles allegedly managed to overpower the private security guards using a metal rod and four wooden sticks extracted from a carrom board, Gautam said.

“I find it a little difficult to believe that 11 juveniles could flee using one iron rod and a few pieces of wooden sticks. Prima facie, there appears to have been grave lapses on the part of the staff and management of the home. How did they manage to break open the lock? Three policemen were present at the entrance as well. The NGO has been running the home for about 20 years now,” he said.

When contacted, a member of the management of the correction home declined to comment. The government has initiated an inquiry into the case. In the past, various authorities, including the NHRC, flagged instances of sexual and drug abuse and violence in the city’s juvenile homes.