The convicts, some of them operatives of top listed criminals like Kala Jahangir and Pichchi Hannan, torture the delinquents inhumanly, if they fail to carry out their irrational commands, many alleged after their release from the centre.

"Some are professional criminals and drug addicts," a boy who was freed from the correctional centre yesterday told The Daily Star.

The convicts often rob other inmates of the money given by their relatives on visit. Each of the guardians, visiting the children at the centre, has to pay up to Tk 100 and if the guardians do not pay the money, the convicts beat the children.

"I saw wounds in the neck and forehead of my son when I visited him a month back," said Parul Begum, mother of a juvenile delinquent who was sent to the centre after arrest in Taltala area about a year ago on charge of carrying explosives.

"Some inmates tied him with a piece of cloth and hit him hard as he did not give them the money they wanted," she despaired.

The convicts buy contraband with the money, she said quoting her son.

"I did not inform the authorities of the institute about it fearing further torture on my son," Parul said.

Banu, mother of another juvenile delinquent, alleged that her 13-year-old son suffered a cut in his right hand about a month ago when someone stabbed him.

Both Parul and Banu went to the correctional centre to visit their children on hearing about the suicide attempts by some delinquents out of desperation.

Pushed to the extremes, some juvenile inmates had stabbed themselves with broken glass to express total disgust at life in confinement for three days from Sunday. They protested imprisonment at the early stage of life, imposition of harsh discipline, insufficient food, lack of entertainment and strict rules enforced by the officials in charge of the centre.

Sumon, released yesterday from the centre after three years, told The Daily Star that the authorities barred the delinquents from watching television and stopped allowing guardians to supply dry food from outside -- the decision that enraged them.

He quoting an official said the centre took the decision following an allegation that drugs are passed to the delinquents in food packs.

According to an official source, 120 of the 197 juvenile delinquents at Tongi correctional centre are on trial, 27 are convicts and 33 are staying as their guardians filed cases. Of the delinquents, 10 are accused of murder, seven of robbery and 27 of illegal arms possession.

Some 26 prisoners fled the correctional centre on April 22, breaking window grille and injuring the guard. On September 4, another group tried to escape from the centre.

The social welfare ministry admitted that the centre was facing some problems but differed with reports that the youths injured themselves to commit suicide. "They did that only to attract attention," says a handout of the ministry.

Meanwhile, Abu Taher, director (administration) of the social service department, who heads the one-member committee to probe the incident, said, "It is not likely that I will submit my report within the ministry-fixed timeframe." The committee was to submit its report yesterday.

He declined to answer any more questions from the media. "Why are you disturbing me?" Taher said in exasperation.