Selaiyur police are investigating the case relating to a complaint against Dr. G.D.Boaz Memorial Hospital, Santoshapuram, for alleged abuse of an inmate.
The complaint was lodged at the police station by Muna Ananthanarayan who charged the institution with subjecting her son Yashwanth to physical abuse when he was admitted for psychiatric and addiction treatment.
Cases were registered under Sections 325 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 342 (wrongful confinement) of the Indian Penal Code. Police said they would be visiting the hospital premises soon, but they had already spoken to the management.
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Yashwanth, aged over 30 years, had been admitted on February 22 for treatment. “I was not allowed to see him for three weeks. I did, however, go to the hospital in between to take some food for him but did not meet him personally,” according to Ms. Ananthanarayanan.
Nearly a month later, as she was driving him back home, he complained of severe pain in the hands and chest. The orthopaedician found he had a fractured wrist and ribs. He also had a cut above his eyebrows, which he claimed was crudely stitched by a ‘male nurse.' She charged that he was also beaten up with cricket bats.
Ajit Boaz, hospital director, denied all the charges. “We do not tolerate any kind of verbal abuse here; there is no chance that our staff used physical violence,” he insists.
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According to him, Yashwanth has been to the institution earlier too, and was smiling and waving to the staff and inmates when he left last month. They had already spoken to the police and were taking up the issue with their lawyers, he added.