The juvenile who caused maximum injuries to the hapless 23-year-old paramedic in the moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012 shows no signs of remorse and even takes sadistic pleasure in describing the whole incident. For him it was nothing more than just an incident.
He behaves as a hardened criminal and those entrusted with reforming are at their wit’s end. He escaped the gallows as he was juvenile even though his act was beyond the realm of comprehension. He had subjected the girl to such savagery that could have shamed the most savage beast.
Despite counsellors working round-the-clock to change his attitude and behaviour, he has not shown any signs of improvement. He refuses to take vocational courses and the administration of the juvenile home is wary of giving him a pair of scissors for learning tailoring. They feel that he is too aggressive and can harm himself. Sources at the correctional facility claimed that there has been no outward change in his behaviour and has shown no proclivity towards learning.
The juvenile is undergoing a three-year custody in a remand home (maximum punishment under the Juvenile Justice Board Act). He has almost completed a year and would be freed by December 2015.
The juvenile views academics with askance. The officials at the remand home convinced him to take up tailoring but are loathe to handing him a pair of scissors lest he harm himself.
The shocking part is that the other youngsters at the correction home hate the juvenile to an extent they look for chances to beat him up. The children had seen the news on television and are aware about the entire incident. In August, the children had created a ruckus at the correction home and it was near impossible to save the life of the juvenile. Since he is a high risk prisoner, he has been houses in separate quarters.
Senior officers at the correction home said he underwent surgery after complaining of appendicitis. “His identity was hidden and he was brought guarded under heavy security fearing a similar attack on him. We had covered his face and told the hospital staff that he is booked for dacoity as it would be risky to reveal his identity,” said the officer. The incident compelled police to keep him in a secret place in the juvenile home.
The officials also revealed that many juveniles who are lodged in the correction centre also misuse Act 23 which states that if any juvenile complains against any official, then he/she would have to face the law. Recently a doctor and nurse at the Mukherjee Nagar correction home had to face this and were charged under a
criminal case.