RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Aug.18: National Human Right Commission (NHRC) Chairperson Justice Arun Kumar Mishra while addressing a workshop on ‘RINPAS and CIP: Issues and Challenges” today asked authorities of mental asylums in Jharkhand to pay proper attention to give a dignified life to the fit patients and take action to ensure their release from the asylum without much further delay.
Justice Mishra said it is a crime to keep patients in the asylum even for a single day saying keeping a fit patient in the asylum is like keeping those in jail who have completed their jail term. He said keeping fit patients in the asylum is a violation of human rights and its liabilities lie on those responsible for running it.
It is often said that fit patients are kept in the asylum as no one comes to take them back home. On which the NHRC chairperson Mishra said that authorities cannot shy off from their responsibility by taking this plea as they are responsible to take action in this regard.
NHRC chairperson Mishra said it is better to shut down institutions or handover to private players if those presently running it are not able to run it properly before expressing his concern over the dilapidated buildings and its poor maintenance.
Justice Mishra, on the occasion, also asked the authorities to pay proper attention to admission of patients coming from jail saying being a retired judge he knows the mental asylums are being misused to keep those in it who do not require a place in the mental asylum.
On differentiation in providing food according to the grade of patients, Mishra was of the opinion that all patients irrespective of their financial status be given the best nutrition and there should not be any partiality to serving quality food.
NHRC chairperson Justice Mishra on the occasion also expressed his concern over the limited number of faculties and dedicated staff in the mental asylum.
As Justice Mishra was expressing his opinion, Principal Judicial Commissioner A.K.Rai besides directors of CIP and RINPAS Dr B.Das and Dr Jayati Simalia respectively other than health secretary of the state Arun Kumar Singh were present along with other dignitaries.
