Mangalore: Raid on Ashraya - owner previously involved in similar case
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Feb 6: The raid on Ashraya centre at Mission Compound on Sunday February 3, wherein the owner was accused of ill-treating and abusing the inmates, has brought to attention the sorry state of affairs in some of the so-called rehabilitation centres. While it would be unjust to paint all such centres with the same brush based on this particular case, as there are many rehab centres that genuinely care for the inmates, the incident does make one ponder how many more 'Ashrayas' may be out there.
Another case that may be recalled here is the one regarding a rehab for the aged located at Monkey Stand in Mangaladevi. A couple of years ago, daijiworld carried a report on how neighbours had complained of wails and shouts emanating from the rehab, and suspicious goings-on like a naked man being thrown into the garage. The police gave a clean chit to the rehab, stating that the institute was doing a 'noble service', however, the neighbours claimed that none of the inmates were visible anytime of the day, and added to the constant shoutings, it raised suspicion over the way the inmates were being treated.
Incidentally, both the rehabilitation centres were being run by the same person - Upendra Naik. Sources said that the previous rehab was closed down a few days after the report exposing the suspicious goings-on appeared on daijiworld.
In the latest case regarding Ashraya Rehabilitation Centre being run at Mission Compound, Nantoor, the Kadri police along with officials of Child Welfare Committee, raided the centre late night on Sunday, and shifted all the 27 inmates of the centre to Wenlock Hospital here.
Upendra Naik was arrested, and police learnt that the centre is not licensed by the family welfare and other government departments as per rules.
It is learnt that one of the inmates ran away from the hospital, while two others were taken away by their relatives on Monday evening. Women and child development district officer, Shakuntala, has asked the police to investigate the backgrounds of all the inmates. She said that the rescued inmates will be handed over to their relatives if they come forward to take them back, and that the others would be admitted into centres that have proper licences.
It is said that the centre does not have proper toilet facility, and that aged, mentally challenged persons, women as well as men, were put together in a single room. Food and hygiene were neglected, and the terrible odour always enveloped the centre. A case under different sections of Mental Health Act 1987 and Physically Handicapped Act 1995 was registered in Kadri police station against the owner of the centre.
It may be recalled that the neighbours, who saw a woman jumping out of the compound wall of the rehabilitation centre and running away on Sunday night, and then being forcibly taken back to the centre by the centre’s owner, had complained to the police.
In the meanwhile, assistant commissioner of police in the city, Kavita, received a memorandum from a delegation led by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee secretary Ivan D’Souza, on Monday, seeking detailed investigation into the functioning of the rehabilitation centre in question.
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