Sasaram: A 14-year-old juvenile inmate lodged at a correctional home in Kaimur district died under mysterious circumstances on Thursday after he was found unconscious inside a toilet. His family alleged negligence by the authorities and has demanded a judicial inquiry.The juvenile, a resident of Bhabua town, had been lodged at the juvenile correctional home-cum-place of safety in Kewa village since Aug 20 in connection with a rape case. He appeared before the Juvenile Justice Court in Bhabua for a hearing on Thursday and met his parents before returning to the facility.According to Ajay Kumar, in charge of the correctional home, the juvenile returned from court around 12.30pm and went to the toilet shortly after reaching the premises while other inmates were having lunch.When he failed to return for some time, inmates alerted the authorities. Staff members rushed to the spot and broke open the toilet door after receiving no response. The juvenile was found lying unconscious inside and was immediately taken to Sadar Hospital. Dr Shyama Kant Prasad, who examined him at the hospital, declared him dead.The death triggered protests by family members, who accused the correctional home administration of negligence and demanded a judicial probe into the incident.A medical team conducted the postmortem in the presence of Bhabua SDO Amit Kumar, SDPO Om Prakash and other administrative and police officials.The exact cause of death is yet to be ascertained. Authorities said further action would be taken based on the postmortem report and findings of the inquiry.
