Juvenile home inmate booked for Amir’s death is 33-yr-old

Of the 12 accused booked for allegedly assaulting Amir Ahmed, 17, at the Matunga remand home, one is a 33-year-old man, while the others are minors.

Of the 12 accused booked for allegedly assaulting Amir Ahmed, 17, at the Matunga remand home, one is a 33-year-old man, while the others are minors.

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The accused, Santosh Pakhre, 33, was allegedly named by Amir as ‘mama’, in a video recorded by his friend at the Nair hospital. “He [Santosh] and has his gang beat me up from 3am to 9am, after which I was made to work till 12pm…All of them are always under the influence of drugs and demand drugs and money. The one who doesn’t get it for them is beaten up,” Amir allegedly stated in the video.

According to sources, Pakhre has been detained for murder. His case was under trial for 14 years, during which he became an adult. Despite that, he was sent to the Matunga remand home, which is meant for children convicted of an offence. “The case went on for 14 years. The judgment was announced a few months ago. Pakhre has been sentenced to two years in jail,” said an official from the women and child development department.

The incident, however, has left the authorities of the David Sassoon Industrial School (DSIS), which houses the remand home, shocked. “The boys often fight, but it never got this serious. We have complaint boxes on each floor. Some children are appointed as monitors to report any untoward incidents,” said Tusshar Bhilvaker, superintendent at DSIS.

Although Bhilvaker said the situation is under control, most staff members claimed the security arrangement, “especially after the arrival of the children from Dongri remand home”, is a cause for concern.