PUNE: A 28-year-old mentally ill patient allegedly beat to death two other patients at the Regional Mental Hospital at Yerawada here during a brawl late on Wednesday.

A complaint of murder has been lodged against Deepak Suravase, a patient of substance-induced psychosis.

The victims — Baburao Pandurang Landge (38) from Satara and Shamshuddin Sawaji Bhanwadia (52) from Pune — were being treated for schizophrenia at the hospital’s male observation ward. Landge, who had earlier been treated at the hospital, was re-admitted on November 12, while Bhanwadia was admitted on November 19.

Suravase is said to have became violent when one of the victims pulled his blanket and the other started shouting and teasing him around 12.05 am, inspector Shivaji Sawant of Yerawada police station said. “In a fit of anger, Suravase banged Landge’s head on the wall,” Sawant said. “He then throttled Bhanwadia before hitting his head on the stone floor. He then beat both of them to death.”

Senior psychiatrist Madhumita Bahale, acting medical superintendent at the Regional Mental Hospital, said Suravase, a resident of Ahmednagar, had developed psychosis due to his addiction to alcohol and ganja. “He is a patient of polysubstance abuse with psychosis,” she said. “He was treated for the same condition in March. His brother had got him admitted to the hospital. He recovered and was discharged, but his brother again brought him back to the hospital a few days back with complaints of irritability and violent behaviour.”

Bahale said Suravase is being treated with anti-psychotic drugs and injectibles. “He was showing normal behaviour with the treatment,” she said. “However, he suddenly went into a blind rage when he was teased by Landge and Bhanwadia.”

Asked why the attendants at the ward did not stop Suravase, Bahale said: “There were three attendants on the night shift, who were posted outside the ward. They’d ensured all the patients in the ward had gone to sleep. However, the fight broke out suddenly. By the time one of the attendants came there, Suravase had already killed the two men.”

Asked why the hospital authorities, despite knowing Suravase’s violent behaviour, had not isolated him for treatment, Bahale said: “The observation ward is meant for patients who get irritable and violent due to mental illness like schizophrenia, psychosis and substance-induced mental illness. Once admitted, they’re immediately put on anti-psychotic drugs and injectibles, which calm them down. We observe their response to the medication for up to 15 days. We shift them to regular wards with others only when we’re convinced their response to the medication is good. Those who continue to show violent behaviour despite medication are shifted to wards meant for such patients, where they’re kept away from others.”

Deputy commissioner of police (Zone IV) Manoj Patil said the hospital employees told the police they did not hear any commotion from the ward where the attacks took place. “We’ll also check the duty registers of the hospitals,” he said. “We’ll also investigate whether there was any lapse on the part of the hospital staff.”

The killings have brought into focus the issue of inadequate number of attendants at the mental hospital, which is the largest in the state. Of the 480 sanctioned posts for attendants, over 50 have been vacant at the 2,400-bed hospital for the last couple of years. As many as 1,650 patients are currently being treated at the hospital.

Similar cases of patients beating other patients to death were reported in 2009 and twice in 2010.

