Rehabilitation centres are intended to be sanctuaries for those battling addiction—but in Bengaluru, several such facilities have turned into centres of cruelty, rife with abuse, illegal confinement, and gross human rights violations.
Acting on complaints and a recent media exposé, the State Human Rights Commission raided five de-addiction centres in north Bengaluru, uncovering horrifying conditions. The raids at Dasanapura, Makali, Chikkabanavara, and Magadi Main Road were led by ADGP Devajyoti Ray, with DySPs Sudheer M Hegde and Mohan SY, and resulted in cases being filed at Madanayakanahalli police station.
Shocking discoveries included:
- Inmates locked up and beaten, not for addiction but because they were considered “inconvenient.”
- A minor boy confined for nearly two years after being disowned for a relationship.
- A 58-year-old man imprisoned following a property dispute with his family.
In Makali, two inmates were found with deep injuries, left to sleep covered only by a cloth. Another centre housed 72 inmates in a cramped 20×30 ft hall, with just one bathroom and four toilets, and only 20 beds.
Conditions were squalid—no doctors, nurses, or psychiatrists—and meals consisted of just rice and sambar. Inmates at some centres hadn’t seen sunlight in months.
Four of the five centres were deemed unfit, with police calling for license cancellation. Authorities are preparing a full report.
These findings expose a disturbing misuse of de-addiction spaces, raising urgent calls for regulation, accountability, and justice.
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