At the entrance of the first floor of Jeevan Raksha Foundation where 29-year-old Amit Bhiduri was beaten to death, packets of guthka could be seen lying around, red-stained walls and iron rods at every door.
People living near the centre said they often hear inmates screaming when they are beaten up.
“Almost daily, we hear people crying for help. When we go and meet the manager, he says that the inmates are not behaving well,” said Charanjeet Singh, neighbour.
The residents were troubled by the functioning of the centre and had approached the police last year to have it removed.
“Last year, a call centre was also running along with the de-addiction centre in the same building. We had issues because of the screams of the inmates and also parking of vehicles by the employees,” said another resident.
70 inmates escaped
The centre is located on the first, fourth and top floor of the building.
The toilets were found to be dirty and the rooms filled with bunk beds.
After the incident, over 70 inmates managed to flee the premises, the neighbours said.
The board was also taken down. “The people coming to the centre were treated like they were in jail,” Mr. Charanjeet said.
Amit’s family said that the centre asked them for ₹15,000 a month, including ₹5,000 extra for better food.