Uncertainty about stay in juvenile home led to chaos

 ‘Uncertain’ about their stay at Adharshila home at Kingsway Camp in north Delhi, 33 juveniles escaped from the rehabilitation centre in the wee hours of Sunday, said National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) while its delegation visited rehabilitation centre after the 15 juveniles were brought back by police on Sunday afternoon.

“They don’t know for how long they will be here. Some of the very disturbed boys triggered the rampage and steered the break out,” member NCPCR, Nina Nayak told Deccan Herald.

“Out of a total of 128 boys here at the rehabilitation centre, 20 per cent have come from Tihar Jail. Some juveniles were lodged in Tihar under the impression that they were adults. But in many cases the verification revealed that they are below 18 years of age and then shifted to such homes,” she added. “We suspect over 2,000 lodged in Tihar Jail are such cases.”

Trainers of these boys are not surprised by their escape. They said they are frustrated and the escape is its fallout.

“We live in fear as they are capable of going to extreme,” said a welfare officer.
According to Manas Foundation which handles counseling of juveniles, the government does not have a reform programme for the juveniles.

“There is no engagement model for them. They are not involved with any section of the society. It’s a constant struggle for them to stay occupied,” said Naveen Kumar, a psychologist with Manas Foundation told Deccan Herald.

“But there is no concrete plan in place for special attention to such cases. Merely segregating them is not a solution,” he added.

Even Nayak echoed similar views. “There is a need of care plan. The boys should be engaged in activities which can boost their confidence. We need more experts,” she said.

A psychologist visits the rehabilitation centre five days a week. He stays with these boys from 10 am to 5 pm. But there is no plan in place for special attention to the difficult cases.