Staff Reporter
Kozhikode
Security at the Government Mental Health Centre, Kozhikode, is all set to be strengthened in the coming days.
This follows a Kerala High Court order on Monday against the backdrop of recurring instances of inmates managing to escape from the premises. The single bench of Justice Sathish Ninan directed the Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, to ensure that at least eight security personnel were deployed there. They are to take turns of four during the day and at night. The mental health monitoring committee headed by the District Judge, Kozhikode, should suggest the minimum number of security personnel required for the institution. This should be based on the number of inmates and other relevant inputs. The appointments should be made by February 23, the court said.
The directive came in a public interest litigation petition filed by the secretary, the High Court Legal Aid Committee, Ernakulam. The order said that four inmates had managed to escape the centre recently, of whom only two had been traced so far. The court was also told that an inpatient woman had died after a quarrel with another woman.
The instances of inmates escaping from the centre indicated nothing short of lack of adequate surveillance, the court said.
