Minor’s murder at children’s home: Security guard booked for negligence

Police have booked a security guard with David Sassoon Industrial School and Children’s Home in Matunga where four minor boys allegedly beat a 16-year-old mentally challenged and speech-and-hearing impaired fellow inmate to death

Police have booked a security guard with David Sassoon Industrial School and Children’s Home in Matunga where four minor boys allegedly beat a 16-year-old mentally challenged and speech-and-hearing impaired fellow inmate to death.

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On August 16, the four boys had ganged up in the common hall of the facility and allegedly kicked and punched the boy repeatedly, police officials said. The warden found him unconscious and took him to Sion Hospital where he was declared brought dead. The post-mortem report revealed that the victim had died of severe internal injuries and trauma.

The CCTV cameras had captured the entire episode. A murder case was registered against the four, and they were later moved to Dongri remand home.

An enquiry by the children’s home found Ganesh Pujari, who was posted at the isolation room, guilty of negligence.

“He did not take adequate precautionary measures for children’s safety and because of this the incident of four boys beating a kid to death occurred,” Satish Bansode, deputy chief officer at the children’s home, said in his statement to the police.

Satish Kasbe, senior inspector of Shivaji Park police station, said, “Based on a complaint, we have booked Pujari under sections of the Juvenile Justice [Care and Protection of Children] Act.”

After the pandemic, every new entrant at the Matunga home is kept separate from the others in order to prevent the spread of the virus. The 16-year-old had been kept in a corner of the hall since August 6 when he was brought to the facility by the DB Marg police. He was found loitering alone at Girgaum chowpatty.

However, the police said, he lost control of his bowel movement and defecated in the hall. Unable to clean himself, he became an easy target of the bullies. On the day of the incident, while other children moved away after some time, the four, aged 17, 16, 15 and 12, kept up the attack for several minutes and because he could not speak clearly, the boy did not scream, police officials said.