Officials to blame: rights forum

By R. Ilangovan

MADURAI, JULY 11. The Human Rights Cell of the Fatima College here, has expressed a fear that owners of the closed mental health asylums at Erwadi in Ramanathapuram ``are confident that they can reopen it (asylum) after a month or two once commotion is over.''

The team's findings, while throwing some fresh light on the fire tragedy, pointed out that an order, issued by the then Collector to close down three such asylums at Erwadi, following a food poisoning incident in 2000, was never carried out. Had that been implemented, the August 6 tragedy could have been averted.

The team, however, held officials responsible for the lapse. As the earlier order was not complied with, the owners of the asylums were now confident that they could open the homes a month or two. The report said the officials `remained indifferent and gave irresponsible answers.'

While welcoming the Tamil Nadu Government decision closing down the asylums, the team, however, criticised the move to send out the patients without their being provided proper medicare.

Organising free medical camps for `one or two days', distributing same medicines for all without considering the uniqueness of the problem of each patient and with no special equipment to assess the health conditions of inmates in asylums, could not produce a permanent solution, it added.

The Human Rights Cell said the Medical Council of India must assist the Government in streamlining the rehabilitation of the patients according to the level of their mental illness and provide therapeutic intervention and follow-up.

The Government could also work on the report submitted by a group of psychiatrists headed by Dr.Chidambaram last April.

Its suggestions included the setting up of a councelling wing under the guidance of the Rehabilitation Council Network of Asylums and licensing of all asylums in the State.

IUML protest

Our Chennai Special Correspondent reports:

The Indian Union Muslim League today refuted the BJP leader, Mr. K. N. Lakshmanan's allegations that the mental asylums at Erwadi in Ramanathapuram district were a haven for Muslim fundamentalists and that those who were involved in the Coimbatore bomb blasts were given asylum there.

The State general secretary, Mr. K. A. Abdul Wahab, in a statement here said people, belonging to different faiths and from different parts of the country, were going to Erwadi as there was a belief that a visit to the local dargah would cure all ills. Instead of sympathising with the victims of the recent fire tragedy at Erwadi, Mr. Lakshmanan was trying to give political colour to the issue. The probe, ordered by the Government, would bring out truth and prove his allegations wrong, said Mr. Wahab.

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