2 inmates flee after ruckus at Mohali de-addiction centre

Frequent incidents of unruly behaviour and fleeing of inmates from the Sector 66 Nasha Mukti Dawai Kendra have dented the AAP government’s “Yudh Nasheyan Virudh” campaign.

In the latest incident reported on September 22, two inmates escaped from the facility at night after a ruckus, in which one Mohali police constable and four private security guards were thrashed. The injured have been admitted to the Phase-6 Civil Hospital.

The police have booked eight inmates for the ruckus. Six of them, namely Puneet Chhabra, Rajveer Joshi, Aryan, Gurvinder Singh, Vicky and Karanpreet Singh, have been arrested for assaulting and obstructing a public servant and use of criminal force. Their accomplices, Sooraj and Sumit Kumar, are absconding.

One of the injured, Sandeep Singh, a constable posted at the de-addiction centre, said, “He, along with four private security guards, was thrashed by a mob in the wee hours of September 22 as he stopped them from fleeing the compound by scaling a walls with the help of cots.”

Meanwhile, the family members of the arrested inmates today staged a protest outside the Phase 11 police station, alleging physical torture and intimidation by cops.

“Our children have been brutally beaten up. The medical examination of the injured constable and security guards has been done but nobody is giving information about our children,” said the parents of the inmates gathered there.

Phase-11 SHO Periwinkle Grewal said, “Information was received about the attack by inmates on a constable and security guards posted at the centre in a bid to flee the centre. Six persons have been arrested and two are absconding.”

Past incidents

24 inmates, mostly those booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act cases for carrying small drug quantities, fled the facility on May 15. Six more inmates, four NDPS Act accused and two voluntary inmates, escaped in broad daylight by scaling the wall on June 1.

Poor infra, security

Overcrowding, lack of congenial atmosphere, inadequate infrastructure and lax security arrangements are some of the issues faced by the facility after it was upgraded from a 50 to 100-bed centre by Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh on May 1. Promoted as a model centre for Punjab in the near future, the de-addiction centre offers a 2-3 week de-addiction treatment not only to voluntary patients but also to individuals sent by the court under NDPS cases.