An illegal facility for those suffering from mental diseases and intellectual disabilities was shut down in Pandalur, Nilgiris district by the Tamil Nadu Revenue Department. Authorities reported discovering a cemetery on the property of the residence, where about twenty bodies, possibly those of deceased inmates, were interred.
The Loveshore Charitable Trust has been operating in Pandalur taluk’s Kunthaladi village for the previous 25 years, according to officials. Revenue Divisional Officer (Gudalur), A. Senthil Kumar stated that although the institution had been registered as a charitable trust, it lacked name boards and approval to admit individuals with mental illnesses. A charitable organization must get licenses from the Institute of Mental Health, Chennai, and the Commissionerate of Differently-abled Persons, respectively, to admit individuals with mental diseases or intellectual disabilities.
#JUSTIN || நீலகிரி மாவட்டம் குந்தலாடி சட்டவிரோத காப்பக உரிமையாளர் உள்பட 10 பேருக்கு சம்மன்
— Thanthi TV (@ThanthiTV) July 11, 2024
சட்டவிரோத காப்பகத்தில் இருந்து 13 பேர் மீட்கப்பட்ட நிலையில் சம்மன் அனுப்பியது காவல்துறை
தேவாலா சரக காவல் துணை கண்காணிப்பாளர் சரவணன் தலைமையிலான குழு விசாரணை
காப்பக நிர்வாகி அகஸ்டின்,… pic.twitter.com/RnAO99aVN2
The disturbing revelation surfaced as a result of a complaint brought up at last week’s meeting, which was presided over by the district governor of Nilgiris. As a result, the shelter was inspected by the Gudalur Revenue Commissioner and the Dewala Deputy Superintendent of Police. The facility was found to be operating without a license on 8th July 2024, after a comprehensive inspection by authorities. They observed that the people with mental disabilities were living in appalling conditions and without even the most basic utilities.
Furthermore, more than 20 dead bodies had been buried on the land without the knowledge or approval of government officials. The illegal burials prompted Shanmugam, the village administrative officer, to complain to the Nelakottai police station. This complaint led to the registration of a case and the start of an inquiry by the police into the identity of the deceased. Additionally, suspicions exist that there might have been attempts to sell the deceased’s body parts and the cops are looking into it.
“Loveshore” was run by a trust and its managing director was Augustin from Calicut. The house in Kunthaladi Bekki was not far from Augustin’s residence. Augustin, however, was conspicuously missing from the scene when revenue officers arrived to seal the premises. Ten people, including the shelter’s owner, have been asked by the Nilgiris district authorities to appear for probe. The summons comes after thirteen mentally challenged people were rescued from the institution. Saravanan, the Deputy Superintendent of Police from Dewala, is in charge of the investigation. The 10 people who were called will be questioned to learn more about the shelter’s unlawful activities and the condition of its residents.
A. Senthil Kumar added, “We conducted an inspection on Monday, July 8, and found 13 people staying at the home. The people running the facility do not have any permissions to run it, and also do not have any records of their patients, about where they are from or any of their families.” He added that although there was a police complaint against the trust, there did not appear to be any indications of abuse having been inflicted on the inmates. The Revenue Department sealed the property after the inspection. On 9th July, a team made up of representatives from the Revenue, Health and Police departments went to the institution and rescued all 13 residents. They were brought to a licensed Coimbatore establishment.
This is not the first time a specific shelter has been the subject of such inquiry. The old and impoverished St. Joseph’s Charity Home in Vellore was the subject of an investigation into allegations of resident abuse and harvesting bones of dead inmates, in October 2022. 69 elderly people were saved and given medical attention in government hospitals as a result. Four people connected to Anbu Jothi Ashramam, a Christian institution for the impoverished, were nabbed in February 2023 at Vizhuppuram on several charges, including rape. Reports of sexual assault, physical abuse and torture came to the fore after which 142 residents were saved. The unregistered establishment attracted impoverished people with false promises of food and jobs since it opened in 2005.
