HYDERABAD: In a serious breach of security, about 15 juveniles lodged at the government observatory home for boys in Saidabad made a hurried escape in early hours of Sunday. A police complaint was filed later in the day and superintendent B Neelakantadhar and two other supervisors have been suspended. However, two of them returned later in the day.
The observatory home in Saidabad, that has a capacity to house nearly 100 juveniles in conflict with law, has been busy in the recent times as another observatory home in Nagole was shut down in February. Painted in greyish blue, the main gate to the observatory home is closed for most part of the day and is manned by three guards in the day time. There are CCTV cameras in the premises and the boys are held in barracks, just like in jails. Most of them who escaped on Sunday are 17-18 years old.
Visuals from the CCTVs showed a group of boys leaving the home in the middle of night; one of the boys even stole a bike parked in the vicinity. According to the police, they used a cutting plier to break open the grill.
Sources say that most of the boys who escaped on Sunday had fled in similar fashion earlier from the Nagole observatory home. They have 10-12 cases against them. In fact, authorities have claimed that they were in the process of shifting the boys brought from Nagole home to another facility in Gajula Ramaram near Chinthal. Saidabad Inspector K Sattiah said the police have not registered a missing case yet, but have formed three search teams to trace them.
“SHOs concerned of the places where these boys hail from have been intimated already,” said the inspector. “We have booked a case of bike theft, but we have to further verify if it was stolen by one of these boys,” the inspector added.
Meanwhile, principal magistrate of the Juvenile Justice Board ET Manjusha claimed that as per her records, only 12 juveniles had escaped. “This is now becoming a norm. They have no basic facilities in these homes. Also, they are not in a good place emotionally and need to be engaged. But, there is no one to take care of this aspect,” she said.
TNIE had recently reported that these juveniles find themselves caged and cannot move around freely at these homes. “Some of them are alcoholics and drug addicts. Since they do not get all that there, they want to leave. Last time five of them had run away, but came back. One of the 12 boys who left this time, has also returned,” said a staffer at the home, on conditions of anonymity.
“Most of them are friendly, help in the kitchen, but since they are not engaged in anything useful or healthy, they are forced to go through this route,” he said. Further, Manjusha, added “these juveniles should not be kept for so long and should be let off in bail. In Rangareddy district, there are several cases pending.
Parents also abandon those who are serial offenders. There is only one teacher who teaches them Telugu and writing. Rest of the time they watch TV, but what are they learning there?”
Summer makes the space really hot and no measures are taken up to ease it up for them. They are not freely allowed to play in the playground as they might escape. Some of them are really good chess and carrom players and should be encouraged, Manjusha said, which can be reformative. It is learnt that a meeting in this regard, concerning the lapses in observational homes such as these will be held on Monday morning.