Alappuzha: The Kerala State Human Rights Commission has ordered the social justice department to take over inmates of Snehadhara, a mental rehabilitation centre at Piralassery Chengannur here urgently.
The order from KSHRC member P. Mohanadas came after an inspection at the asylum functioning since August 26, 1998. The finding vindicates DC report titled ‘Inmates struggling at rehab’ appeared on June 3, 2012. The KSHRC had instructed to shift the inmates to state-run centres on December 9, 2017, but kept on abeyance for further clarification after its secretary sought a reprieve.
The commission found serious human rights violations here. It was using the inmates, the majority of them drug addicts and mentally-retarded, for dairy farming, carpentry and cover-making business.
The centre's septic tank was overflowing and was cremating dead bodies from outside on its premises. Inmates were living in unsanitary cells, and many had severe health problems. It had no approval from panchayat administration.
The KSHRC also examined a report from the district social justice officer which found it had no psychosocial rehabilitation registration, besides negligence in health management, employee service and distribution of nutrients. It was not following post-death proceedings either.
A police report to the KSHRC said its secretary was a defendant in a fraud case at LIC agent's cooperative society and there had been complaints of illegal organ transplantation of inmates.
DC had in 2012 found 262 inmates from various states living in nine ill-equipped and overcrowded rooms. Of them, 52 were women.
They were sleeping on the floor without mats, and injured inmates were locked up in the four-storied building in an isolated location.
It had service of no permanent doctor and was running dairy farms and silk culture. There were 31 cattle.
Trust secretary P.S. Abraham, meanwhile, criticised the order saying that it had no authority.
"The KSHRC is not the last word in this country. It acted unilaterally. We will challenge the order in the High Court," he said.
"We have reduced inmates to 90 from 262 since 2017. We've been working under SJD which had never cited any issues."
When asked about the inmates being forced to work, he asserted that it was a solution to depression.
