TIRUNELVELI: A 17-year-old boy who was admitted in a government-approved de-addiction and rehabilitation centre at Vikramasingapuram for counselling died under mysterious circumstances on Thursday evening.
His parents alleged that the boy was beaten to death by the staff of the centre. The deceased was a resident of Thiruvengadam town in Tenkasi district.
According to police, the boy had earlier received treatment for mental health issues at a Tirunelveli-based private hospital and was admitted to the centre on June 10 for counselling.
Speaking to the media, the boy’s father said “A few days ago, I wanted to meet my son but was denied permission. On Thursday morning, I was told to pay charges as soon as possible. In the evening, police informed us about his death. I was told that my son was declared brought-dead at the Government Hospital in Ambasamudram. We noticed injuries on his body. The staff of the centre have beaten my son to death.”
He added that the boy was admitted in the centre for counselling as he was adamant on buying a two-wheeler.
The Vikramasingapuram police registered a case based on Prabhu’s complaint. “We are waiting for the postmortem report to decide the direction of inquiry. The report will reveal if the boy was beaten up,” a police officer said.
Dr Latha, Joint Director of Health Services, Tirunelveli, inspected the centre on Friday. When contacted by TNIE, she said the centre authorities showed her the licence. “An inquiry is underway. The members of the district mental health board will inspect the centre on Saturday,” she added.