Delhi Police career counsel juveniles with criminal past

For an 18-year-old boy from Shadipur, Diwali this year will be a life changing experience, much different from last year’s, which he says brought along “life’s

For an 18-year-old boy from Shadipur, Diwali this year will be a life changing experience, much different from last year’s, which he says brought along “life’s worst horror”. The boy, who is the son of a driver and a homemaker, had spent last Diwali at a juvenile correction home after being apprehended in a case of attempt to murder. But now, with the help of Delhi police’s career counselling workshop organised especially for juveniles with criminal past on Thursday, the 18-year-old expects to be an earning member of his family this Diwali.

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The 18-year-old recalls how he was in a group of boys from his neighbourhood who had stabbed a passerby to rob him of his valuables last September. “I was also apprehended and was sent to juvenile correction home where I spent 28 days. My parents were heartbroken. I was 17 then,” he recalls.

Aspiring to become a fashion designer, the boy is completing class 12 and will be enrolled in a job by next month. “During counselling, I expressed my interest in fashion designing. I have enrolled myself for a vocational course to start earning some money and be able to support my family financially and have also been guided by experts on how to pursue my dream career,” the boy said.

As many as 200 juveniles having criminal past in cases like murders, attempts to murder, theft, rape, pickpocket and snatching, attended the event on Thursday.

At least 1,000 juveniles are apprehended every year for their alleged involvement in different crimes.

Majority of them were first time offenders. Deputy commissioner of police (central) Sanjay Bhatia, who organised the sessions for the juveniles on Thursday at Raj Ghat, said the juveniles were introduced to a variety of vocational training that they can enrol for and earn sustainable income. Many who are not in a position to pay for vocational courses were enrolled free of cost. They will all be placed in different jobs as per their interests, once they’re trained, the DCP said.

Another boy, a 15-year-old from Prem Nagar, who had spent ten days at a juvenile correction home in June this year, for attempting a murder, was offered a vocational course free of cost.

“In June, I was accompanying a friend who stabbed a tempo driver to death following an argument. I was apprehended too and sent to a correction home. I am out on bail and my case is still pending. My father works as a labourer at a steel factory and mother at a bedsheets manufacturing unit. Because I could not pay, I have been promised free of cost training. Since I am in class 10, I have also been guided how I can pursue higher studies,” the boy said.

Bhatia said, apart from career counsellors there were also criminal psychologists who interacted with the juveniles and advised them on how to be strong-willed to be able to stay away from criminal activities even in future.

Anuja Kapur, a criminal psychologist who counselled these juveniles, said the first thing is acceptance. “We need to look at things from that person’s perspective. Most of the first crimes are committed under peer pressure. While reforming these children and making sure they do not return to crime, we make them realise how the crime they commit also affects their own parents and loved ones in family, similarly as it affects their victim,” Kapur said.