SAMBALPUR: Dhanupali police on Tuesday arrested two staffers of ‘Samartha’ for allegedly abusing and assaulting mentally challenged inmates of the rehabilitation centre at Netaji Nagar here.
The accused are Harishchandra Das, the secretary of the NGO which runs the centre, and caretaker of the facility Swagatika Pradhan.
The duo was seen assaulting inmates of the centre in the videos that went viral on social media.
After the disturbing videos surfaced, a team of police and the district social security officer (DSSO) visited the centre on Monday for investigation. After verifying the authenticity of the videos, an FIR was lodged against the staff of the rehabilitation centre which was being run by NGO Adarsha Shishu Mandir.
DSSO Thabira Mahanand said appropriate action will be taken against the organisation running the centre. “We have engaged another NGO to take care of the inmates. Provisions will be made to rehabilitate them at another facility within seven days.”
There are 30 inmates at Samartha. Official sources said for rehabilitation of the inmates, the administration has sought technical assistance from a Khurda-based NGO. Currently, city-based NGOs Sambal and Parichaya have been entrusted with the responsibility of taking care of the inmates. Plans are afoot to shift them to the integrated infrastructure complex at Baijamunda in the city soon.
Sambalpur collector Siddheshwar Baliram Bondar said the administration has started the process to cancel the registration of the organisation and blacklist it. “A team comprising senior district officials has been formed to conduct a detailed investigation into the allegations and past incidents at the centre. Further action against the rehabilitation centre will be taken on the basis of the probe report.”
Bondar informed that during an inspection four months back, the administration found lapses in hygiene and cleanliness practices in the facility. Due to these lapses, provision of grant-in aid to the centre was stopped. The collector said allegations of unnatural deaths that have been reported from the centre in the past will also be investigated.
