The inmates of Surajkund Juvenile Observation Home of Meerut are once again in the spotlight, for the wrong reasons.
Stressing that having a Disc Jockey belt out music to celebrate a fellow inmate’s birthday was their right, inmates of the Home went berserk giving anxious moments to the Home and district administration throuygh Monday night.
The irate inmates created ruckus and pelted stones at the police when their demand was turned down. In the melee, a dozen even tried to flee the Home, but ran out of luck.
As per reports, protests broke out when angry inmates after denied permission for having a DJ ata party, raised slogans against the Surajkund Observation Home authorities and roughed up two staff when they tried to cajole them.
Failing to handle the situationm, the authorities called the police. As the cops tried to intervene, the inmates started hurling missiles at them. The police retaliated by lobbing tear gas shells and firing rubber bullets to quell the situation.
In the melee, 12 juveniles, tried to escape from the Home but were later nabbed. A total of 61 juveniles are lodged in the Home at present.
Heavy police force is camping at the Home to avert any exigency. The DM has ordered an enquiry into the incident and asked for a report to be tabled within a week.
Few months back, the Surajkund Juvenile Observation Home hogged headlines when 91 inmates of escaped taking advantage of loud music being played at a function within the premises. The inmates sawed off the kitchen’s window grill on the first floor. They later climbed down by tying some bed-sheets before fleeing. However swift police action resulted in the nabbing of 41 juveniles from the outskirts of Meerut. A magistrerial probe was ordered and two cops along and two home guards were suspended
Even during last Navratri, the inmates created ruckus after the authorities took measures to check entry of narcotics and sedatives inside the Home. The inmates then accused the Home authorities of not providing them food as per the religious fast.
later when CCTV cameras were set up inside teh Home to check smuggling of drugs, the inmates as usual created a ruckus as most of them are habitual.
In December 2014 too, the inmates attacked cops with sticks and rods and even fired from a rifle snatched from one of t he cops resulting in the death of a cop and injuries to several others. The cops were trying to prevent drugs coming into the Home.
In August and September last year, the cops were attacked by the same inmates.
The cops were so scared after this incident that the then SSP of Meerut, Onkar Singh had sent a proposal to the government to shift all inmates beyond 18 years to the District Jail fearing more violent attacks. However, the government chose to ignore the recommendation as the inmates were covered under the Juvenile Justice Act.