Bihar teen, held in February for opening fire, dies by suicide in Gaya remand home

GAYA: A Bihar teenager detained in connection with a firing case in February this year died by suicide on Monday evening at a juvenile correction home in Gaya town, the district’s Rampur police station said on Tuesday.

The 17-year-old was a resident of Bairagi Mohalla and had been in custody since February 20 in a case of firing and attempt to murder registered by the Delha police station, police said.

Rampur station house officer (SHO) inspector Ravi Kumar cited the remand home staff noticed the teenager hanging in the bathroom at 6:10pm and took him to Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College Hospital (ANMMCH) where doctors declared him dead.

His family reached the hospital later in the night and protested the death of their kin in custody, alleging that he was possibly killed by a staffer. They also alleged that a guard at the remand home used to particularly harass the boy and that the authorities did not act against him when they filed complaints.

Sadar sub-divisional magistrate Kislay Shrivastava met the family members at the hospital and assured the relatives of an impartial inquiry by a judicial magistrate since this was a case of custodial death.

The teenager’s body was handed over to the family after a medical board conducted the autopsy in the presence of a magistrate on Tuesday, said Ravi Kumar.

Two boys have died at the juvenile home over the last year where at least 50 boys are being held.

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