Why does my brother-in-law’s body have so many injuries?, asks family of Thane mental hospital inmate

Dr Netaji B Mulik, medical superintendent of RMH, Thane, said the patient was admitted as he was irritable and aggressive and such patients usually injure themselves. Pic/Diwakar Sharma

Admitted to Thane mental hospital for treatment of schizophrenia on February 7, a Vasai resident was found with multiple injuries six days later, with the family alleging that he was beaten up at the asylum. He died a few days later while undergoing treatment for rapid breathing at Nair hospital. The family wants a probe against the mental institution.

The dean of Regional Mental Hospital (RMH), Thane, has denied any assault by his staff, but has assured of an internal enquiry into the family's allegations.

The 53-year-old deceased, who was unmarried and lived with his brother and his family in Vasai, was admitted to RMH on February 7, after he started soiling his clothes and surroundings and refused to take his medicines, said his kin.

‘Forced to pay bribe'

The sister-in-law of the deceased told mid-day that the RMH staff asked for a court order to admit him.

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The deceased man's sister-in-law. Pic/Hanif Patel

"We did not have a court order and while we were talking among ourselves, one person accosted us and asked for Rs 8,000 in cash for his admission. Since he needed immediate medical attention and we had no other option, we agreed to pay the bribe to Vinod More, who gave us a receipt of Rs 2,050," she said, adding, "There were no injuries on his body when we admitted him."

"We visited him regularly. But, on February 13, the staff told us that we can't meet him. They said he was kept in isolation, as he was naked and had not been eating. After pleading with the staff, we managed to see him from afar. He was fully naked, but we convinced him to wear his pants after which he also ate a few bananas on his own," she recalled.

They left the hospital around 2 pm. Around 6 pm on February 13, they received a call from RMH, with the staff asking them to visit immediately.

The injuries

"The staff told us that he had fallen sick. We thought that he might have just created the usual ruckus, so we thought of visiting him the next day. We called back on the landline number to tell them that, but no one answered," said the sister-in-law.

The deceased's brother added, "Around 10 pm, the hospital called us again and said that his health condition had deteriorated so he was being rushed to civil hospital. They said he had an acute breathing problem."

They rushed to the civil hospital, where "an RMH employee, Vishal, suggested that I get referral letters from the mental hospital as well as the civil to shift him to JJ hospital," said the sister-in-law.

"Vishal had promised to arrange an oxygen bed at JJ hospital provided we got the referral letters from. So a few relatives visited TMH on the night of February 13 for the referral letter, but the staff there was confused. They then called Vishal who got us a discharge book from TMH, which was neither signed nor stamped," she added.

Later that night, the sister-in-law was wiping his body with a wet cloth when she noticed "his right elbow was fully swollen and there were lacerations and abrasions all over his both the hands and legs. There was also an injury mark on his forehead."

Meanwhile, on the morning of February 14, the family had secured referral letters from both the hospitals, but Vishal was nowhere to be found and his phone was switched off.

"We took him to JJ hospital on our own, but it did not have a vacant bed. The ambulance driver helped us and took us to Nair hospital, where a neurosurgeon enquired about his wounds. We told her everything that had happened so far," she added.

Treatment at Nair

A senior medical practitioner at Nair hospital told mid-day the patient was brought in "an unconscious state and tachypnoea (rapid breathing) and was undergoing treatment." However, he passed away on the evening of February 19. "The post-mortem report states that it was a natural death," the practitioner said.

However, the niece of the deceased said, "A few cops had visited us from Agripada police station and asked about the wounds and injuries on my uncle's body. We had categorically told them that there were no injuries on his body when he was admitted at the mental hospital."

mid-day visited RMH, Thane, where Medical Superintendent Dr Netaji B Mulik said, "He was admitted to our hospital as he was irritable and aggressive. Generally, such patients injure themselves after becoming aggressive."

"We do conduct medical tests of the patients at the time of admission and if there are any injuries on his/her body, we inform their relatives,"
he added.

According to the documents at RMH, Thane, the deceased had no injuries at the time of his admission on February 7. But, on February 13 the documents show: his ‘right elbow is swollen'. On this, Dr Mulik said, "We don't beat up patients here. Generally, patients get injured during fights among themselves. But, I will initiate an internal enquiry and personally look into the matter to understand if the injuries were self-inflicted or because of beating by someone else."

His relatives said, "We are taking legal advice to approach the police. We will not spare the culprits who brutally assaulted him at RMH, Thane. We have buried him with proper rituals, but if required, we will help the police to exhume his body for detailed investigation."