Eight people, including owner of a private de-addiction centre, have been arrested in connection with the death of a 42-year-old man at a rehab centre in Agartala. The arrests were made by New capital Complex (NCC) police station on Saturday, nearly 19 days after the incident.
According to police sources, the arrested persons include rehab centre owner Shubham Biswas and seven other employees of rehab centre.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of NCC police station, Paritosh Das said the accused would be produced before a court on Saturday with police remand appeals for further interrogation.
The incident concerns the death of Tuhin Shubhra Bhattacharjee, a resident of Ramnagar, who was admitted to the Swapna Foundation Rehab Centre for treatment of drug addiction. His family has alleged that he was subjected to physical assault at the centre.
According to the complaint filed by his wife, Sahana Das Bhattacharjee, the rehab centre owner called her on August 15 and informed her that Tuhin had fallen ill and had been taken to the emergency department of GB Hospital. She claimed that, upon reaching the hospital, she found multiple injury marks on her husband's body.
The family alleged that Tuhin had been assaulted at the rehab centre and that the injuries led to his death. Based on the complaint, NCC Police registered a case. Police initially registered a murder case on August 16, but no arrests were made at that time. Following further investigation, eight people were arrested on Saturday.
OC also confirmed that the autopsy report of the victim youth suggested that there were multiple injuries in his body and they have registered the case under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) including 118 (1). 103 (1) for murder and criminal conspiracy.
The incident has also raised questions about the infrastructure and monitoring of private de-addiction centres in Agartala and surrounding areas. Allegations have surfaced that some such centres lack adequate medical facilities and the regular presence of doctors, despite admitting patients for de-addiction treatment.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding Tuhin's death and whether anyone else was involved. The exact cause of death and what happened to him at the rehab centre are expected to emerge as the investigation progresses.