Bhubaneswar, March 7: In a shocking incident, a mentally challenged youth was allegedly beaten to death at Disha Foundation, a drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centre at Gudiapokhari Chowk under Pipili police station. Following the incident, police arrested seven employees of the foundation and presented them in court.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Indrajit Das (27) from Cuttack, Pradyumna Maharana (42) from Kendrapara, Mitu Bihari (43) from Banki, Tapas Kumar Sahu (39) from Deogarh, Ratan Tripathi (34) from Jagatsinghpur, Prithbi Das (38) from Bhubaneswar, and Rahul Patra (28) from Baragarh. Police confirmed that they were employees and boarders of the facility.

During the investigation, authorities seized a vandalized vehicle, a computer, and a CCTV hard disk from the centre’s office.

According to reports, Nabakrishna Nayak, a resident of Bhubaneswar’s Laxmisagar area, had admitted his 26-year-old son, Subhasish Nayak, to Disha Foundation on December 3, 2024, seeking treatment for his mental illness. The managing director, Pratap Kumar Mohanty, had assured Nayak that his son would recover through yoga and pranayama.

However, instead of improving, Subhasish tragically lost his life. Nabakrishna, who visited his son regularly, last saw him on March 3. Two days later, he received a call from Mohanty, who informed him that Subhasish was vomiting and had been shifted to Capital Hospital. Minutes later, Mohanty called again, stating that Subhasish had passed away.

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