Man dies at illegal de-addiction centre, mother alleges torture

Amarjit Singh (35) of Patel Nagar in Malout town died at an illegal de-addiction centre at Sarawan Bodla village near here under mysterious circumstances.

Amarjit’s mother Manjit Kaur alleged in a police complaint that her son was tortured and brutally thrashed on Monday. Acting on the complaint, the Kabarwala police have registered a case against unidentified persons.

Manjit Kaur alleged that her son was a drug addict and he was admitted to the de-addiction centre being run at a “dera” about five months ago. “We were not allowed to meet Amarjit, but always told to pay monthly fee. On Monday, when we went to bring Amarjit back home, he told us that he was thrashed because we failed to pay the fee on time. He had become very weak. He was taken to the Civil Hospital, Malout, and later to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda, where he passed away,” she said.

Meanwhile, deceased’s wife Kamaljit Kaur has demanded a stern action in the case. The deceased had a daughter and a son. His relatives said nearly 50 more addicts were admitted to that de-addiction centre.

Dr Jagdeep Chawla, Chief Medical Officer, Muktsar, said, “The de-addiction centre is not approved by the Health Department. We are writing to the Deputy Commissioner to form a committee to look into the matter.”

Meanwhile, the body has been sent to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Faridkot for a post-mortem examination.