The High Court yesterday termed a government probe report about the allegation of torture on the children at Tongi Juvenile Development Centre "contradictory", and fixed April 9 for passing an order on the issue.

The court made the observation as it found the probe committee had concluded that the management of the centre was not guilty, although the victims' statements recorded in the report said the then superintendent of the centre SM Anwarul Karim had been abusing them physically, Deputy Attorney General Biswojit Roy told The Daily Star.

The HC bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Lil Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain also said the investigation into the allegation of torture against the inmates of the centre was not done properly.

It said the probe committee members themselves did not talk to the victims, but recorded victims' statements by Md Aiyub Hossain, director (administration and finance) of the Department of Social Services.

The court came up with the order after DAG Biswojit yesterday further placed the probe report before it for decision. Earlier in last month, the DAG submitted the report to the court. It then fixed April 3 for an order.

The government in February formed a three-member committee led by Meshkat Ahmed Chowdhury, director general of the Department of Social Services, in line with an order of the HC to investigate the allega-

tion of torture on the teenagers in the development centre.

The other two members are Deputy Commissioner of Gazipur, Nurul Islam, and Superintendent of Police Abdul Baten.

In the second week of March, the committee handed over the probe report to the attorney general's office for placing it to the HC.

On February 13, 20 teenagers made newspaper headline by inflicting injuries on them, protesting "abuse" at the hands of their Superintendent SM Anwarul Karim. Karim was suspended following the news report.