The Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission has posed some serious questions to the State government about the authority and permission to run drug rehabilitation centres after the death of a young man during treatment for de-addiction at a centre in Jodhpur. The Commission has specifically asked about qualifications of persons running such centres.
The Commission's enquiry came on a complaint filed at its camp hearing in Jodhpur earlier this week. Complainant Imran Khan stated that his brother Sajid had died during treatment at a rehabilitation centre in the city and the police had launched investigation after registering a case under Section 304-A (causing death by negligence) of Indian Penal Code.
Mr. Khan sought the directions for probe into his brother's death as a murder case, while alleging that the rehabilitation centres, which charged thousands of rupees for treatment, did not even have the basic facilities. No qualified persons were available there for consultation and treatment and the Centre's guidelines were being “violated with impunity”, he said.
“When a person addicted to alcohol or drugs dies at such centres, his family members often try to hide it for protecting his honour. This tendency also enables the centres to conceal the real cause of the victim's death, which is nothing short of murder,” the complaint said.
The Commission's Chairperson, Justice Prakash Tatia, observed in his order that it was necessary to know whether de-addiction had evolved as an independent subject of medicine and whether specialised treatments were available for different types of addiction.
The Commission directed the State's Principal Medical & Health Secretary to provide information about the official authority which gives permission for establishing the rehabilitation centres as well as the provision for their monitoring. “What is the qualification required for running such a centre and is the treatment for de-addiction a branch of medicine as per the medicinal science?” it asked.
The Commission has asked the Principal Secretary to file the reply by October 30, when the case will come up for further hearing. The Commission will also examine the provisions of the Central sector scheme of assistance for prevention of alcoholism and drug abuse adopted on April 1 this year.