Teen patient dies at Dhaka rehab

A teenage patient has died at a drug rehabilitation center in Dhaka’s Malibagh area, the victim’s family and police have said.

Md Yasin Mia, 17, was admitted to Holy Life Drugs Addiction Treatment Centre earlier this year. He was declared dead at a private hospital in Khilgaon on Tuesday afternoon, said Hatirjheel police station’s Sub-Inspector (SI) Md Shahjahan.

There were bruises on the left arm, a leg and around the neck of the deceased, the SI said.

“Our primary findings are that Yasin was found hanging at the rehab centre and was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead,” SI Shahjahan told reporters. 

Only the autopsy report would confirm the exact cause of death, he said.

Originally from Barisal’s Bakerganj upazila, Yasin was the only son of his parents who are currently living in Merul Badda.

“Yasin stopped studying when he was a 10th grader,” said his father Masum Mia, a businessman. 

He added that his son had been admitted to the rehabilitation centre on January 22. 

Masum said he went to the centre to visit his son on Thursday, but was not allowed in.

“The rehab centre authorities informed me [Tuesday] that Yasin had fallen sick. After reaching there, I found him dead with injury marks,” he said. 

Masum blamed the rehab centre authorities and staff over his son’s death.

Dr Sohel Mahmud, head of the Forensic Department of Dhaka Medical College, where the body was taken for post-mortem, confirmed that there were injury marks around the deceased’s neck, left elbow and ribs. 

In November last year, there was significant public outcry after a senior police official was killed in a mental health hospital in Dhaka. Subsequently, allegations of torture and mistreatment of patients at hospitals and drug rehabilitation centres emerged from different quarters.   

Bangladesh has 355 drug rehabilitation centres, including four run by the government. A total 43.66% of them are in Dhaka, according to the Department of Narcotics Control.