Mental health is still a very new and taboo issue in the country. Coupled with the concerning rise in drug addiction that India is currently witnessing, the increase in rehab centres should be seen as a piece of good news. However, a recent report about rehab centres from Haryana has shed light on the frankly shocking and horrifying reality that patients have to endure there.
What Did The Report Say?
A recent ground report by The Print has exposed the reality of private de-addiction centres. With government-run rehabilitation centres few and far between and those that exist lacking sufficient resources for treatment, people have regarded the area of private rehab clinics as a profitable avenue that has not been extensively explored in the country.
The report mentioned how many of these centres seem to be sprouting in Haryana and Punjab, engaging in aggressive advertising and making claims of “Guaranteed Recovery,” “100% Success Rate,” or “Quit Addiction in 7 Days!”
The Print report highlighted the case of Rishipal Singh, the sarpanch of Haibatpur village in Jind, Haryana, whose nephew had been admitted to the Seva Dham Drug De-Addiction Centre. Amarjeet, a former patient at this centre, spoke about how “There is no facility. None at all. Even the milk and curd that Singh had asked them to provide for Sumit were not delivered fully… They have opened a business, not a rehab.”
Speaking with The Print, he further revealed that this particular rehab clinic was “nothing but a prison in disguise,” as the inmates were simply left to their own devices.
Apparently, the centre had not employed any cook, sweeper, or doctor; all these tasks were performed by the patients themselves, from cooking for dozens to cleaning toilets, washing clothes, and more. Meanwhile, the staff reportedly sold the medicines that were meant to be given to the patients.
The Print report claims, “The so-called rehabilitation centre was a single, suffocating hall. Sixteen beds lined up in a row—an illusion of space and order. Yet, 33 people were crammed into that same room.”
Amarjeet was also quoted explaining what happened at the de-addiction centre: “Those who spoke too much, who dared to complain, were dragged downstairs to the basement. Their hands were tied to their thighs. They were tortured. Even the so-called ‘staff’ weren’t real staff. Most were just former patients switched into roles of authority after months of being broken down.”
He further explained what happened during a police raid: “The day the police raided the centre, only 15 out of the 33 patients were presented as actual patients— the rest of us were falsely labelled as staff members.”
The patients were also reportedly forced to appear normal in front of family and friends visiting. They were instructed to smile and talk about how they were recovering, even made to record videos as proof of their recovery; however, those who did not comply were reportedly beaten.
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Not The First Time
This is unfortunate to witness, as it just shows that there has been little improvement over the years in the regulation of these rehab clinics. This report is not the first to highlight the inhumane and shocking practices occurring in such facilities, with a drug addict sharing their story of torture in private rehab clinics in Punjab in a 2014 report by India Today.
A survey conducted by the Department of Community Medicine at Dayanand Medical College (DMC), Ludhiana, also claimed that many of these rehab centres use mental and physical torture as ‘treatment’ methods for de-addiction. The survey revealed that many of the new private clinics claiming to assist with de-addiction do not have proper infrastructure or trained staff.
Dr Vikram Kumar Gupta, Assistant Professor at DMC, spoke with Mail Today, stating, “They never employ trained professionals or specialists like counsellors, psychologists, and psychiatrists,” highlighting that drug addicts are left in the hands of untrained staff, who can be rude and abusive, as they lack formal training on how to handle patients. Most of these rehab centres were also found to lack separate rooms for male and female patients, with everyone being grouped in a large room.
Dr Gupta further noted, “A number of private drug de-addiction centres are violating norms and pursuing their own policies. There are no nurses or counsellors. These centres are rarely inspected by the authorities, which adds to the woes of the inmates.”
A Tribune India report from May 2023 also shed light on forty-three patients who were rescued from rehabilitation centres in Barwala, Mauli, and Bataud, recounting their experiences there. The report revealed that “Patients who were rescued from illegal rehabilitation centres said they had been given a new life. They reported being beaten and tortured several times. Moreover, they were forced to cook and clean at the centre. About twenty people were kept in a room, with no allowance to go outside or meet anyone—they were essentially imprisoned in the room. Patients mentioned that there was neither a doctor nor medicine provided to them.”
Haryana Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, during a surprise inspection of drug de-addiction centres in the Madawala village of Pinjore, also claimed that patients were being given banned medicines without a proper prescription from a doctor. He asserted that not only were these medicines being sold at exorbitant prices—one costing ₹140 at market price was charged at ₹390 per strip—but they also served to further addict the patients.
In an October 2023 report by Times of India, a raid conducted at the Awakening Rehab Centre in Gurgaon revealed that the centre was being run illegally by a 50-year-old man named Balram. Twelve patients were rescued from the premises, and reports indicated that although the centre had been operational since 2021, it did not possess a valid registration number, which is mandatory under the Haryana De-addiction Centres Rules, 2010, nor a valid licence issued under the Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
Officials also discovered that patients were being treated without consultation or prescription from a credible medical practitioner and were charged exorbitant fees, with standard facilities costing ₹45,000 per month and VIP services priced at ₹70,000 per month.
Harish Budhiraja, a CID officer, stated, “We reached the centre on Wednesday morning as soon as we received a tip-off. The accused had taken the building on rent and were providing fake treatment for various forms of addiction. All twelve patients were above 30 years old and had been abandoned by their families.”
He further revealed that the patients were physically abused, denied basic facilities, and forced into slave labour, which one patient anonymously confirmed, stating, “There have been many instances when we were beaten with iron rods for asking for food or requesting a meeting with our family.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Print, The Indian Express, TOI
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Haryana, Haryana rehab centre, Haryana rehab centre truth, de-addiction centres, de-addiction centres india, de-addiction centres haryana, de-addiction centres punjab, addiction, addiction India, addiction problem India, drug problem, drug problem india
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