KOTTAYAM: Deaths of three inmates within a week in a mental hospital here have raised suspicions. The incident was at 'at the Puthujeevan Trust Rehabilitation Centre in Payippad Panchayat in Changanassery.

The local residents and the lawmakers have called for a probe into the deaths. The third death was on Saturday morning at the Kottayam Medical College.

The District Collector P K Sudheer Babu said the deaths are not due to contagious diseases. He further added that samples of the deceased were sent to the Amritha Institute. Reports say that the deaths were not due to H1N1 or COVID 19.

Health minister KK Shailaja on Saturday sought a report from health officials in Kottayam district after locals alleged foul play. Following this, the Collector ordered a magisterial probe into the deaths. Additional district magistrate Anil Oommen will probe the case, he said.

According to the locals, three inmates of the centre, run by the trust which is headed by a retired policeman, have died in a week's time. The local people also alleged that the inmates were subjected to torture at the facility. According to the centre, it is offering services for the mentally challenged, destitutes and abandoned elderly people for the past over three decades. Local people demanded a thorough probe into the cause of the deaths.

According to officials, six other inmates have been admitted to various hospitals in Thiruvalla. After an initial investigation, the district medical officer said the deaths were not due to any epidemic. As per the Health minister's directive, a panel of doctors have been constituted to study the cause of the death of the three people, including a woman, he said.