UP official blames police for forcing psychiatric treatment

An official protesting against corruption in the social welfare department of Uttar Pradesh has alleged he was forcibly evicted from his protest site and that the police tried to forcibly admit him in the psychiatric ward of a local hospital. Rinku Singh Rahi, a provincial services official, was on a fast unto death alleging corruption in the Social Welfare Department, in which he was posted earlier. [caption id=“attachment_257468” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Rahi claimed the police tried to forcibly admit him in a hospital but the hospital authorities refused to do so. Screen grab from CNN-IBN”]  [/caption] “In a late night operation, police and administration removed Rinku Singh Rahi staging fast unto death at dharna sthal and he was taken to hospital,” Praveen, told CNN-IBN. “Police took Rahi from one hospital to another and even attempted to admit him to the psychiatric department, but later released him when pressure mounted,” he alleged. However, police officials said Rahi was hospitalised on account of deteriorating health. “As the doctors recommended that he should put on drip, we hospitalised him. There is no question of releasing the officer as he was not arrested…it is upto the doctors to discharge him or not,” Additional Superintendent of Police (East) Vijay Bhushan told CNN-IBN. Rahi is currently posted as co-ordinator at Bhimrao Ambedkar Coaching Centre, Aligarh, and started his fast on Monday to protest against corruption in his former department while he was posted there in Muzaffarnagar in 2008. The provincial services official has alleged he had uncovered a scam in his former department in which around Rs 40 crore was siphoned off, an action which resulted in him being attacked. Rahi lost an eye and his jaw was broken in the attack.