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Kerala mental hospital charged
with human rights violation

The Kerala State Human Rights Commission has ordered a police investigation into charges of torture and human rights violations at the Sacred Heart mental hospital at Painkkulam in Kottayam district.

Commission chairman Justice M M Pareed Pillai issued the order on a public interest petition filed by human rights activist Jomon Puthenpurackkal.

The commission on Wednesday directed the Thodupuzha police station circle inspector to submit his report within seven days.

The petitioner alleged that the hospital, run by a Christian organisation to provide care and treatment to mental patients, had deteriorated into a commercial jail, serving the interests of wealthy people to dump problem children or unwanted parents.

"Such people are admitted as insane or alcoholic and detained behind shutters forever, without adhering to provisions of laws, including the Mental Health Act," the petitioner said and added that the act prescribed a reception certificate from a competent magistrate for long periods of admission.

He said the hospital authorities were not following the rules and also alleged cases of patients being detained against their wishes, without producing them before a medical board.

Two patients, admitted for de-addiction, ran away from the hospital and approached the Kerala high court recently for their release. The court ordered the release of K P Raghu from Guruvayoor. Raghu, who had spent 20 years at the hospital, is now running a business and is leading a normal life.

M V Shaji, who ran away after spending eight years in the hospital, has also moved the court. His whereabouts are not known. The petitioner has expressed suspicion that the hospital authorities may have caught him and kept in secret custody.

Though a complaint was lodged with the Thodupuzha police on September 16, they have not taken any action, the petition said.

In his petition, Shaji said that his father P V Abraham had admitted him for de-addiction in 1992 and the hospital authorities detained him after taking a huge amount. He said requests for discharge after a reasonable period were turned down by the hospital authorities, under the pretext that he was a mental patient and required long treatment.

He said he was chained and confined to dark cells several times. He alleged that he was also forced to do hard work inside the hospital in the name of 'occupational therapy' and was not paid for his services.

Heavy doses of medicine or electro-convulsive therapy (shock treatment) served as punishment for those who refused to do the jobs, he added.

According to him, there was no provision for treating patients with physical illness and psychiatrists handled the cases.

There were some instances that ended with the death of patients for want of proper treatment for physical illnesses. He pointed out the death of Jose Padavil as one of that kind.

Often, relatives do not come forward to claim bodies of those who die in the hospital. The corpses are cremated without any autopsy even in cases of unnatural deaths, he said.

Raghu had complained of an attempt by the hospital authorities to convert non-Christians. He said he was baptised and forced to follow Christian rituals while in hospital. Raghu alleged that it was compulsory for all patients to pray in the hospital chapel.

Raghu also alleged an attempt by the hospital authorities to surrender his property to them. He said that hospital managing director Dr Angel Mary had forced him to sign an agreement bequeathing his fixed deposits. He said that she had earlier taken Rs 150,000 as a loan and never repaid it.

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