A signboard showing the way to Bal Mitra Thana in Ranchi on Friday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Additional director general of police (crime investigation) Asha Sinha on Friday inaugurated the first Bal Mitra Thana, one of the two police stations earmarked by the state as “child friendly”, that would only handle cases of juvenile offenders.

The child friendly police station, which was inaugurated on the premises of Gonda police station near the chief minister’s residence on Kanke Road, is expected to change the way juvenile justice is meted out in the state capital. Assistant sub-inspector Sugar Kandulna, who is also a national level hockey player, has been put in charge of the station.

The 20x20 room designated as the police station for children, comprises an attached bathroom and has necessary furniture, complete with a complaint register, to help children write their grievances on which the police would take action. A series of posters and signboards providing information about juvenile justice and laws formulated to protect children from atrocities also adorns the room.

At the inauguration, additional director general Sinha said the police station was the first step taken in the South Chotanagpur range to help provide proper justice to children who were in conflict with the law. She also promised that similar police stations would come up across the state soon.

Echoing Sinha, South Chotanagpur range DIG Sampat Meena said that efforts were on to open more such child friendly police stations in Gumla, Lohardaga, Simdega and Khunti districts.

“Another child friendly police station in Ranchi, Jagannathpur police station, will be set up soon,” Meena said.

Prodded about how these police stations were going to make a difference, Meena said officers manning such stations, to begin with, would be in plainclothes.

“No juvenile offenders will be locked up or handcuffed. The police officers will be more sensitive towards the cases and will take the help of social organisations and members of the Juvenile Justice Board,” she said.

Member of Juvenile Justice Board and state co-ordinator of Action Against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children Sanjay Mishra, who was present at the inauguration, appreciated the police initiative.

However, not everyone shared Mishra’s enthusiasm. “Providing special facilities to misguided children will make them overcome the fear of law. They will no longer be afraid of the police and commit more crimes,” an officer said on condition of anonymity.

SSP Saket Kumar Singh, however, allayed all fears. “Children using the law to their advantage will be dealt with severely after they cross the 18-year threshold,” Singh said.