Relatives claim death due to beating inside correctional center, 6 people arrested for investigation.
What you should know
A person kept in a correctional center has died under suspicious circumstances. Narayan Dhakal, 27, of Tilottama-8 No. 4, who was undergoing treatment at the (Drug) Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Center run by the Karuna Chautari Foundation in Mrigauli, Tilottama Municipality-11, Rupandehi, died on Sunday.
Relatives of Dhakal, who has been kept in the rehabilitation center since November 25, have alleged that the center's staff and patients kept for rehabilitation died due to beatings. The center, however, has informed relatives that Dhakal fell while jumping from the building to escape and later died.
The victims filed a complaint at the Area Police Office, Butwal on Monday, saying that he died due to beatings inside the rehabilitation center. Police said that after the victim's complaint, the center's staff and six people kept for treatment were taken into custody and an investigation was launched. Deputy Superintendent of Police of the Area Police Office, Indra Rana, said that the six people were immediately taken into custody and an investigation was launched. 'We are currently in the process of investigating,' he said, 'We are taking the six people into custody and questioning them.' According to the source, the police have taken the center's staff, including Ashish BK, and the patients being treated under control.
The victim's maternal uncle Ramgopal Bhandari said that his nephew was kept in the correctional center 13 days ago and that no family or relatives were allowed to meet him after that and that he was informed only after his death. Dhakal, who was living in the UK, had come to Nepal for treatment after becoming addicted to drugs. His family had kept him in the center since Kartik 25. According to maternal uncle Bhandari, the center had paid 30,000 rupees for the first month on the condition of taking 100,000 rupees for three months and had kept him there for 13 days. 'It is customary not to let anyone meet him after he was kept inside,' he said. 'They informed him only after his death without informing him of any other incident. Other patients inside have informed that he was beaten to death.'
The center has also been operating a drug, nerve and mono disease hospital under the name of Chautari Hospital Pvt. Ltd. After the incident, hospital director Kiran Dhakal switched off his mobile phone. Other hospital employees have not been contacted. The mobile phone used by Dr. Mousumi Thapa, who was involved in the treatment of the deceased Dhakal, is being picked up by the hospital's kitchen staff. Relatives of the deceased have been claiming that the incident occurred during an argument, as new patients admitted to the correctional center were given the responsibility of caring for older and recovering patients.
