Teen ‘assaulted’ to death at Tufanganj rehab centre

Cooch Behar: A teenager was allegedly fatally assaulted at a rehab centre in Tufanganj on Friday.

The teenager was rescued from the rehab center in the Dariyabalai area of Andaran Fulbari-I Gram Panchayat near Tufanganj city and taken to Tufanganj Sub-Division Hospital, where the attending doctors declared him dead.

According to local sources, the 17-year-old boy developed alcohol and marijuana addiction due to which his family admitted him to a local rehab centre.

However, on Friday, the family received a call from the center informing them that the teenager’s condition was critical and they should come to the hospital. When they arrived, the family was devastated to find their son’s lifeless body.

The family reported that the boy’s body bore burn marks, and he evidently suffered severe beatings, possibly with iron rods as there were visible signs of assault on his body. The minor could not withstand the brutality and succumbed to the injuries. In response to the incident, an agitated crowd vandalised the rehab center. Upon receiving this information, a substantial police force from Tufanganj Police Station was dispatched to manage the situation.

Dyutiman Bhattacharya, the Superintendent of Police of Cooch Behar, remarked: “The tragic death of a teenager occurred at a private rehab center in Tufanganj. The deceased’s body has been recovered and sent for a post-mortem examination. Two individuals, including the owner of the rehab centre, have been apprehended in connection with the incident and a police investigation is underway.”