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Show-cause notice to contractor over viral videos at Yerawada mental hospital
The contractor, who provided housekeeping services for several years, continued operations until March 31, 2026, but stopped work from April 1, citing non-payment
The public health department on Friday issued a show-cause notice to a former contractor of the Regional Mental Hospital (RMH) in Yerawada after videos surfaced on social media allegedly showing inmates being made to do cleaning work.
The contractor, who provided housekeeping services for several years, continued operations until March 31, 2026, but stopped work from April 1, citing non-payment. Hospital authorities claim he later circulated old videos and photographs from his tenure to tarnish the hospital’s image.
The contractor had provided housekeeping and cleaning services for several years. Of a total pending ₹2.68 crore (for how many days), the department cleared about ₹98 lakh, stating payments were based on the quality of work and refusing to release the full amount.
In the notice, the department said that, under the contract, responsibility for cleanliness rested entirely with the contractor. “Despite this, the videos show patients engaged in cleaning work. This is a violation of contract conditions and provisions of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, as well as a breach of patient and human rights,” it stated.
The contractor has been asked to explain within 24 hours why legal and administrative action, including the registration of an FIR, should not be initiated. Failure to respond will lead to unilateral action, said Dr Shrinivas Kolod, medical superintendent of RMH.
Dr Kolod said payments were released based on actual work, frequency and material usage, as per orders from superiors. “The viral videos were recorded during the contractor’s tenure and circulated later. The intent appears to be to defame the institution,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday demanded that the contractor be blacklisted and criminal cases filed against former officials who cleared previous bills despite alleged violations.
AAP leaders claimed that about 35% of the ₹2.68 crore pending amount was cleared by the hospital. They also alleged that bills worth over ₹11.85 crore were approved between 2017 and March 2024 without proper inspection.
“Workers were denied basic benefits such as minimum wages, provident fund, ESIC and other legal entitlements. Strict action must be taken against both the contractor and the former officials involved,” said Dr Abhijit More, party representative.
