Chaining of drug users in rehabs still prevalent in CCpur
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, July 29 2011:
Some of the rehabilitation centres which have been set up in Churchandpur are chaining the drug users to the bed like animals as remedies for bringing them to their normal life.
There are around 9 rehabilitation centres in Churchandpur out of which 4 are still practicing this sort of inhuman treatment.
The rehab centres include , Bethsaida, Mahaim, Gileadbalm and Emmanuel rehabilitation centers.
Revealing this at a press conference held at the office of the MNP+, Yaiskul, the convenor of the Drug Users Forum Manipur, RK Gyanjyoti said that these rehabilitation centers are nothing but a hub for earning quick and easy money at the cost of drug users.
He said that, Bethsaida, Mahaim, Gileadbalm and Emmanuel rehabilitation centers all based in Churachandpur district of Manipur, have been willfully violating human rights and torturing inmates in the name of treatment.
Drug users are also human beings, he said, and questioned why these victims of drugs are being kept in rehabilitation centers where basic human values and their rights are not respected and where addicts are treated and chained to the bed like animals.
He reported that Goubiakthang Paite (25) who was an inmate for 13 months at Bethsaida Rehabilitation Center in Churachandpur district of Manipur died a tragic death at a private hospital in Imphal on July 25 after being lynched to death by a mob.
But family members alleged that he was beaten to death by staffs of the rehab.
He said that the most unfortunate part was that the family members of Paite were only informed about the situation by the center well after his death.
However , the family members were not allowed to take the lifeless body of Paite without clearing the hospital due that ran up to Rs 75, 625, he rued.
Only after an FIR report was registered by the family at Churachandpur police station that the rehabilitation center came around and cleared the hospital dues after which the body of Paite was released from the hospital.
OST Councillor of MNP+, Sunil informed that about four inmates have lost their precious lives at Bethsaida alone because of negligence and total disregard for human value and human rights by the staffs and authority.
He went on to say that besides Bethsaida, Mahaim, Gileadbalm and Emmanuel centers, all based in Churachandpur district, have been willfully violating human rights and torturing inmates in the name of treatment.
According to Sunil, 120 inmates in this center are chained to their beds and treated inhumanly with total disregard for their wellbeing and recovery and only as a hub of earning easy money.
Manipur Drug Users' Forum has reportedly submitted memorandum to this effect to the governor of Manipur, besides the Ministry of social justice and empowerment minister, human rights commission, national integration forum, state health minister, concerned commissioners and SP of Churachandpur district to look into the matter with due urgency and to check the mushrooming of ineffective and crafty NGOs in the state.