Darbhanga: In a disturbing turn in the death of Amarjeet Kumar, an inmate at the juvenile home in Darbhanga, police have confirmed that the teenager died after being beaten inside the facility. Injuries were found on his face and body, contradicting initial reports that he was admitted to Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) with a stomach ache before being declared dead.
“Injury marks were found on Amarjeet’s body. Based on allegations made by his relatives and statements in the FIR, it prima facie appears that he was beaten,” Amit Kumar, Sadar DSP, Darbhanga, told reporters.
Amarjeet’s family had accused the juvenile home staff of torture and negligence from the outset. They claimed that the 17-year-old had confided in them during a recent visit, saying he was routinely assaulted and pleaded to be removed from the facility.
“My child is gone, but save the others still locked up there,” said Amarjeet’s father, Bhuvaneshwar Mahato. “This is due to the negligence of the jail administration. Children are beaten and tortured inside. There must be an inquiry.”
A case has been registered at Laheriasarai police station against the juvenile home’s management and a guard. The family alleges that after receiving a call informing them of Amarjeet’s illness, a follow-up call to the same number revealed from another inmate that he had been beaten by the guard.
Family member Shivnath Mahato corroborated the claims, recalling that Amarjeet had repeatedly expressed fear and described being assaulted. His brother Ram Laxman also recounted financial transactions the teenager had requested, including Rs 600 sent on March 30 to an acquaintance’s account, and a further Rs 600 requested on April 10, which went unsent.
Later that day, the family was informed that Amarjeet had been taken ill. Upon arriving at DMCH, they were told he had died.
Amarjeet was in custody following a dowry-related case filed by the family of his deceased wife. In 2022, he had married a woman from his maternal village in Khanpur’s Nathodwara. She died by suicide one and a half years later, and her mother, Sanju Devi, filed a murder and disappearance case against Amarjeet and four others, alleging they had killed her daughter for not fulfilling a demand for a motorcycle.
