Bhubaneswar: A mentally challenged youth was allegedly brutally beaten to death at Disha Foundation, a drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centre at Gudiapokhari Chowk under Pipili police station. In this incident, the police arrested seven employees of the foundation and forwarded them to court.
The arrested accused are Indrajit Das (27) of Bhaunaria village under Bhadreswar police station in Cuttack district, Pradyumna Maharana (42) of Sangaan under Sadar station in Kendrapara, Mitu Bihari (43) of Talvast area of Banki police station in Cuttack district, Tapas Kumar Sahu (39) of Kaliakhmar village under Riamal police station in Deogarh district, Ratan Tripathi (34) of Purohitpur area of Alipingal police station in Jagatsinghpur, Prithbi Das (38) of Sundarpada area of Bhubaneswar, and Rahul Patra (28) of Brit Colony in Baragarh.
The police said that they are employees and boarders of ‘Disha’ Foundation. The police have seized a vandalized vehicle with a computer and a CCTV camera hard disk from the office.
According to reports, Nabakrishna Nayak of Bhubaneswar’s Laxmisagar area had left his 26-year-old son Subhasish at the ‘Disha’ Foundation on December 3, 2024, as he was mentally ill. Pratap Kumar Mohanty, the organization’s managing director, had promised to make the son completely healthy through ‘yoga and pranayama’.
Nabakrishna said that instead of recovering, his son returned dead. According to Nabakrishna, he and his wife visit their son every month. He also visited his son on March 3. Two days later, Foundation head Mohanty called Nabakrishna over the phone to inform him that his son was vomiting and was currently in the Capital Hospital. A few minutes later, Mohanty called him again to inform him that his son had died. By the time Nabakrishna reached the hospital, Pratap Mohanty had fled, leaving behind his son’s body. Nabakrishna alleged that his son was beaten to death.
The police have registered a murder case in this regard. A scientific team from Puri reached the spot and conducted an investigation. According to the autopsy report, Subhashish’s head was hit with a hard stick, and there were internal injuries on his body.
Earlier, a similar incident had occurred at the same centre when a 24-year-old youth was beaten to death.
