A man, who ran a de-addiction centre at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district, and his associate were arrested for allegedly inflicting inhumane torture on inmates, in the name of treatment.
The arrested persons have been identified as Abani Pati, the owner and his associate Pitabasa Roul. Police said Pati has six cases pending against him.
The incident was one year old but its video went viral recently, laying bare how ruthlessly and inhumanly the inmates were being tortured in the name of treatment at the hand of the centre’s owner and his aide.
The viral video caught Baripada police napping. It was when news channels carried the news that the police swung into action and arrested the owner of the centre and his associate.
In the video, which is said to be a year old but went viral recently, Pati can be seen flogging the divyang inmate with a plastic pipe ruthlessly. He can also be heard hurling filthy languages at the inmate. The torture didn’t end there. Pati can also be seen forcing the inmate to lick his feet.
In another such viral video, Pati can be seen thrashing another inmate, in presence of other inmates.
Ironically enough, instead of feeling guilty for his act, Pati justified it, saying this is the only way to treat such persons.
“I had collected detail information about him at the time of admission. During treatment, he had hurled obscene languages at us. Then we had decided the course of treatment for him,” clarified Pati.
“Both the owner and his aide have been arrested and the duo will be produced in a court. This apart, we will write to the district administration, urging it to take action against the de-addiction centre and cancel its licence,” said SDPO, Baripada K. Hariprasad.
“The way inmates were being tortured at the centre is wrong and unjustified,” said district social security officer, Radhakrushna Pradhan.
Notably, earlier, a body of an inmate was recovered from this de-addiction centre.