Ruckus at police station, locals want juveniles sent to Tihar Jail

Over two dozen people protested outside Sunlight Colony police station in south-east Delhi on Thursday, demanding that two juveniles arrested in a murder case be beaten up and sent to Tihar Jail. 

The duo is currently lodged in a juvenile home, said police.

The murder took place on Sunday in a tunnel near Barapullah flyover in south Delhi. “Five boys, all friends, first bought drugs from a dealer on Sunday before proceeding to the tunnel to consume it. While getting intoxicated, four of them got involved in an argument with Naveen over some issue related to the consumption of the drugs. The argument led to a scuffle during which they stabbed him to death,” said a senior police officer. 

When Naveen did not return home, his parents approached police and said they suspected his four friends as he was last seen with them. 

Police arrested two of them, both juveniles, on Wednesday and sent them to a juvenile home. The body of the 21-year-old victim was also recovered from the tunnel. Police also managed to arrest the third accused, 21-year-old Sultan, on Thursday. However, the three arrests were not good enough for the residents of Sarai Khan village, many of whom created a ruckus at the police station.

“The 25-30 strong mob demanded that the juveniles be sent to Tihar Jail instead of being lodged at a juvenile home. They also wanted us to beat up the accused before sending them to prison,” said the officer. The crowd also protested on the road for a few minutes.

However, police managed to pacify them. “We explained the law to them after which, they agreed to return to their homes,” said the officer.

The accused have been booked for kidnapping, murder and destruction of evidence among others and police have launched a search for the fourth accused, who is an adult.