Guwahati, Jan 15: The Association of Drug Rehabilitation Centres of Assam (ADRCA) on Saturday addressed the media at the Guwahati Press Club to respond to allegations levelled against the association by Bornali Baishya, founder of Shristi Wellness Home, a drug rehabilitation facility located at Navoday Path in Hengrabari.
ADRCA president Samar Bharadwaj, accompanied by secretary T. Riku Kashyap, treasurer Beeko Das and advisor Dipanka Khataniar, presented a detailed written statement supported by documentary records and video footage to counter the claims.
The association placed on record its valid registration certificate to establish its legal standing and produced official communication from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which, according to ADRCA, identified Shristi Wellness Home as an unregistered rehabilitation centre at the relevant time.
The association also elaborated on the events of October 24, 2025, at Shristi Wellness Home, stating that all actions taken were in accordance with responsibilities entrusted to ADRCA by the ministry for the lawful discharge and relocation of inmates. It denied allegations of vandalism, nuisance or conspiracy, asserting that its intervention followed complaints related to the alleged mishandling of inmates and was carried out strictly within legal and ethical boundaries.
Speaking to The Assam Rising, ADRCA secretary Riku Kashyap said, “Shristi Wellness Home is being run illegally as it is an unregistered rehabilitation centre. Moreover, as per government SOP, boys’ and girls’ rehabilitation centres cannot operate together, but both are being run in the same building with common access. Patient faces and identities have been revealed on Bornali Baishya’s social media pages, which is a clear violation of the confidentiality clause. A few years ago, due to the actions of Bornali Baishya personal conflict with other rehabilitation centre, government officials were compelled to inspect rehabilitation centres and frame a standard operating procedure (SOP). Her personal disputes led to conflicts with several rehabilitation centres, which eventually drew the attention of government authorities. After her arrest and subsequent release, she has uploaded multiple videos targeting specific individuals as an act of personal vendetta. However, her claims hold no merit, as she herself was consuming substances at the time, and we possess evidence, including marks on her body as shown by girls from the rehabilitation centre. She was operating the centre illegally, and a formal complaint was lodged at the police station, following which further action was initiated.”
Reiterating its commitment to transparency, legality and the welfare of inmates, ADRCA stated that it had acted solely in the interest of safeguarding ethical rehabilitation practices across Assam and expressed its willingness to cooperate fully with any competent authority conducting further inquiry.
