A 26-year-old man named Sonu, son of Kulwant Singh from Punjab, was reportedly beaten to death at an illegal de-addiction center in Kathua.
The center, known as New Hope Life Care Centre, was run by Jatinder Kumar from Jalandhar, Punjab.
According to Sonu’s sister, her brother was admitted to the center, where he was brutally assaulted by the staff and left unconscious without medical care.
The staff then fled, abandoning Sonu’s body.
The family rushed him to GMC Kathua, where a postmortem was conducted before the body was returned for final rites. The Kathua police have since registered a case.
The center had been operating illegally since April 2024, without any qualified medical personnel, and was treating 25 drug-addicted youths from Punjab. Police have gathered evidence from the scene of the incident.
The deceased’s family is demanding justice and a magisterial inquiry into the matter.
They are questioning how the center operated for three months without intervention from the Kathua administration and are distressed by the large amount of money spent on treatment only for Sonu to be brutally killed.
Reports also indicate that there are nearly a dozen other illegal de-addiction centers operating in the Kathua district.