A senior journalist has alleged that his late friend’s daughter has been admitted to a rehabilitation centre by her sister despite being mentally sound.
S.P.K. Gupta, a former Parliament correspondent for a major news agency, has also written to the Delhi Police Commissioner requesting to probe whether Nilima Warerkar (59) is mentally ill or not. Nilima is currently under treatment at Tulasi Healthcare, a mental, alcohol, and drugs rehabilitation centre in Mehrauli.
In the letter, Mr. Gupta claims Gulmohar Park resident Nilima - who is the daughter of his now deceased friend M.R. Warerkar – had confided to him that her elder sister Anjali had got control over her by administering psychiatric drugs.
“She also threatened Nilima that she would land up in a mental asylum if she complained to police or others,” said Mr. Gupta.
“Anjali would not allow her out of the house or use the phone, ” said Mr. Gupta.
Mr. Gupta said, “Nililma returned to the country in early 1990s after a few years in France, where she was quite unhappy because of an unrequited obsession with a French national; her anguish was misdiagnosed as schizophrenia and she was given psychiatric treatment and put on unneeded drugs from which she has suffered some side effects.”
According to Mr. Gupta, a few months ago, Nilima started calling him when Anjali was not around and shared her plight.
However, since September 17, he couldn’t contact Nilima despite ringing up Nilima’s home several times. “When I spoke to Anjali four days later, she told me that Nilima was out and would not be back till evening. I called at 8 p.m. and Anjali said Nilima would be home late and I should call in the morning,” he said .
The very next day, Anjali told Mr. Gupta that her sister had been sent to ‘a rehabilitation centre” as she had been ‘behaving oddly’.
No case has been registered so far, but the police have initiated preliminary inquires. A police officer said they would speak to Nilima at the rehabilitation centre on Monday if permission was granted by the doctor treating her.
“We have spoken to Nilima’s siblings. They have denied that there is any property dispute between them,” said the officer.
Talking to The Hindu , Anjali said that her sister has had a long history of mental illness and had earlier been admitted to Vidyasagar Institute of Mental Health, Neuro and Allied Sciences several times.
Anjali made a counter allegation that it was Mr. Gupta, who tried to create fissures between her and Nilima, after he was asked to stay away from them. “We have submitted all the medical documents to the police,” she said.
