Case filed against 5 over patient tortured at Gaibandha rehab centre

Five employees of the GUK Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre in Gaibandha have been accused of torturing a patient.

The patient’s brother, Md Aurang Haqqani, filed a case yesterday with Gaibandha Sadar Police Station on charges of torture and attempted murder, said its Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdullah-al Mamun.

The accused are Md Badhon, 35, a counsellor at the centre; and staff members Labib, 32; Shihab, 35; Atif, 36; and Talha, 35.

The rehab is operated by Gono Unnayan Kendra (GUK), an NGO based in Kalibari Para of Gaibandha municipality.

The 37-year-old victim is now undergoing treatment at Gaibandha General Hospital.

According to the case statement, family visits were restricted after admission. The victim informed his family that instead of providing treatment, the rehab's staff subjected him to "medieval-style" torture. On February 11, the victim’s brother was initially denied access but later allowed to meet him after gathering locals. The victim then alleged that on February 9, staff locked him in a room, stuffed a cloth into his mouth, tied his legs to a window grill to hang him upside down, and beat him unconscious with iron rods, pipes, and sticks.

Badhon, the prime accused, denied the torture allegations, claiming the patient was aggressive and had assaulted others.

"This patient is an old client of ours. He is often very aggressive and depressed due to family issues. We sent him back twice before, but his family forced his admission the last time.

“On the 9th, he severely abused and beat up other patients, which led to 15-16 of them ganging up against him and beating him up.

“My staff failed to protect him at that time. There was negligence on their part as well,” he said.

Commenting on the severity of the injuries, OC Abdullah-al Mamun said, "There are torture marks on the victim's body. He is currently hospitalised. A case over torture and attempted murder was filed yesterday against five employees. We are working to arrest the accused."