Tripura: Rehab center says inmate, 28, slipped & died; family cries foul

Agartala: A 28-year-old man has been allegedly died inside a drug rehabilitation center in Tripura’s Madhupur area under Sepahijala district. The deceased has been identified as Ismail Miah.

According to available information, Ismail Miah, a drug addict, was admitted to a Madhupur-based drug rehabilitation center by his father Abdul Gaffur Miah about ten days ago.

The rehab has been identified as the NGO-run Hamkorai Mairul Bodol at Kunaban in Madhupur, which informed Ismail’s family that he had slipped in the bathroom due to a slippery floor.

“They said my son met with an accident in the bathroom due to the slippery surface. We rushed there and after all the formalities like signing of consent papers and all, they told me my son is dead. They never revealed that he was no more beforehand. It shows the rehab authorities were concealing facts,” Miah said.

Ismail’s mortal remains were brought to his residence at Bishramganja area under the same district on Thursday before he was laid to rest. The mortal remains were also sent for autopsy in the local hospital.

“His hands and legs were fractured. He had suffered injuries on different parts of the body as suggested by the scars. If someone falls down on a slippery surface, that may not cause death. Either they did not make any effort to get him treated or he had been subjected to inhuman physical torture inside the rehab center,” said the deceased’s father.

Nirban Das, the on-duty doctor at Madhupur police station, confirmed that Ismail suffered injuries on different parts of his body.

“There were injury marks in his legs, blood spilled over other parts of his body as well. Injury signs have also been spotted in his private parts. All the specimen had been sent for tests to the state forensic laboratory. We have to wait for the final reports to ascertain the exact reason behind his death,” the doctor said. 

Meanwhile, the officer-in-charge of the Madhupur Police Station, Bhisbas Das told EastMojo that the postmortem report would likely be ready by Sunday.

“The post mortem was conducted in the presence of an executive Magistrate. We have registered a case of unnatural death in connection with the incident. Everything will be clear once we get the postmortem report,” said Das.

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