A division bench headed by Justice Harish Tandon of Calcutta High Court on Thursday sought reports from the state home secretary and director-general of police on the alleged custodial death of a 15-year-old boy in Birbhum’s Mallarpur on October 30.

The home secretary was directed by the court to state if there were child-friendly corners at every police station in Bengal. The DGP was asked if there were closed-circuit television cameras at police stations and how many of them work.

Both the home secretary and DGP have been told to submit their reports by November 25, the next hearing.

The boy, arrested on suspicion of theft, was found hanging in the toilet of the Mallarpur police station on October 30, triggering villagers to accuse cops of custodial death.

The order was passed during hearing of the case demanding protection of minors in juvenile homes amid the pandemic. During the hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer had stated the Mallarpur incident, which prompted the court to seek the home secretary’s report.

A lawyer said: “Under the Child Rights Protection Act, there should be at least one child-friendly corner to keep a minor accused between the period of arrest and production before Juvenile Justice Board.”