A 27-year-old man died under suspicious circumstances at a de-addiction centre in Buddha City Colony (Parshurampur), under the Sarnath police station area, prompting a police investigation and allegations from the family of physical assault.
The deceased has been identified as Aditya Goswami, a resident of Shivpur. Police said the body was sent for post-mortem examination on Friday, with the cause of death to be confirmed after the report is received.
Family alleges assault before death
According to Aditya’s mother, Pratibha Goswami, her son had been struggling with alcohol and marijuana addiction. She said he had physically assaulted her on December 4, following which she admitted him to the de-addiction centre on December 27 in the hope of rehabilitation.
On Friday morning, Pratibha received a call from the centre stating that Aditya had suffered a heart attack and his condition was critical. About two hours later, she was informed that he had died. However, she alleged that when she saw the body, there were deep marks of beating and assault all over it, raising serious doubts about the circumstances leading to his death.
Centre denies allegations
Officials of the de-addiction centre have denied the family’s allegations. They claimed that Aditya had attempted to escape from the facility on December 29 by locking staff and inmates in a room and jumping from the roof.
According to the centre, this attempt resulted in injuries below his eyes and on his legs, for which he was undergoing treatment. They maintained that his death was not due to any assault inside the centre.
Police awaiting post-mortem report
Police officials said that on Friday morning, Aditya reportedly took a bath around 7.30 am and went to sleep. When staff member Tribhuvan Singh later went to call him for breakfast, he did not respond. He was then rushed to a private hospital in Mavaiya, where doctors declared him dead.
Station House Officer Pankaj Kumar Tripathi of Sarnath police station said a case has been registered based on the family’s complaint. “The situation will become clear after the post-mortem report is received,” he said, adding that the centre has been operating in the area for the past two years.
The incident has raised concerns over the monitoring and regulation of private de-addiction centres, with locals demanding strict action if negligence or abuse is found.