De-addiction centre staff accused of assault
About 17 drug addicts, undergoing treatment in a private de-addiction centre in Matiana in Theog Sub Division in Shimla district, were allegedly beaten up and threatened by de-addiction centre staff for fleeing the facility.
In a police complaint filed by Sikandar (25), a resident of Lower Koti in Rohru tehsil, Shimla district said that on March 1, 2025, his family took him to the said de-addiction centre so that he got rid of his drug addiction. On March 3, he along with his friends fled from the rehab centre by deceiving the centre’s staff. Upon coming to know of their escape, the rehab staff started searching for them.
The complainant further alleged that they were spotted and caught by the staff members in a jungle adjoining Kaljar village in Matiana. Upon being caught, they were brutally beaten up by the rehab centre’s staff due to which he and his friends sustained injuries, mainly on their face, arms and legs.
Furthermore, he alleged that when the staff members of the rehab centre were taking them back to the rehab centre, they threatened to kill them if they repeated the act in the future.
Taking action on the complaint, police proceeded to register an FIR under section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt to another person) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 has been registered and initiated the investigation.
Meanwhile, the rehab staff has refuted the allegations and said that no such incident has taken place. They said that the rehab centre has been running for the past five years and it was shocking that the addicts could go on to such an extent.
