20 bodies found buried at premises of illegal home for people with mental illnesses in Nilgiris district

Illegal home for disabled individuals closed in Pandalur, Nilgiris district after discovery of burial ground with 20 bodies.

The T.N. Revenue Department has closed down an illegal home for people with intellectual disabilities and with mental illnesses, in Pandalur, Nilgiris district.

Officials said they found a burial ground on the premises of the home, where around 20 bodies, believed to be those of former inmates who died at the facility, were buried.

According to officials, the Loveshore Charitable Trust has been functioning in Kunthaladi village in Pandalur taluk for the past 25 years. A. Senthil Kumar, Revenue Divisional Officer (Gudalur), said while it had been registered as a charitable trust, there were no name boards at the facility and no permissions were given for it to take in people with intellectual disabilities and mental illnesses either from the Institute of Mental Health, Chennai or from the Commissionerate of Differently-abled Persons.

“We conducted an inspection on Monday, July 8, and found 13 people staying at the home. The people running the facility do not have any permissions to run it, and also do not have any records of their patients, about where they are from or any of their families,” said Mr. Senthil Kumar.

Following the inspection on Monday, the Revenue Department sealed the premises, and a team comprising of officials from the Revenue, Health and Police departments visited the facility on Tuesday, July 9, and rescued all 13 persons staying at the home. They were taken to a licensed facility in Coimbatore.

Mr. Senthil Kumar, however, said there did not seem to be any signs of abuse that had been perpetrated on the residents, but a complaint has been registered with the police against the trust.