Complaint Against (Dr.) Kailash Mantry
National Platform For The Rights of the Disabled
July 21, 2021
The President
Maharashtra Medical Council
Mumbai
Dear Sir,
This is to draw your urgent attention towards certain bogus and misleading claims being made by a Mumbai-based so-called doctor, Kailash Mantry.
Among the numerous spurious claims made by him is the promise of “100% cure for Autism”. He then goes on to blame parents as to be the cause for this spectrum in their children.
He declares:
”…Autism is caused by various reasons like deep-rooted anxiety and nervous, emotional, and mental breakdown. There is also no full-proof test for identifying the disease in people. We conducted comprehensive research on it and arrived at the conclusion that autism can be cured 100% without medicine…”, says Dr. Kailash Mantry.
[https://healthwellness.co.in/]
Further,
· “…This disease according to our research is not because of any defect in the child, we are of the belief that the disease is caused due to the parents….”
· “…It can be said that this disease is not a manufacturing defect but a handling defect. We have seen more than two hundred children, I have spent 3 hours with them and their parents. And I am 100% assured that due to the parent’s anxiety, stress, tension, difference in opinion, domestic violence, and other such reasons Autism is formed in the child…”
[https://www.kailashmantry.net/autism/]
You are well aware that the theory of “refrigerator mothers” was debunked in the 1970s. Of course, prior to that it had caused enormous pain for many families for decades together. Today, there is extensive scientific research showing that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, and unrelated to "cold mothering."
You will agree, the claims made by Mr. Mantry who at times uses various titles and designations including that of a “Life Coach” are not backed by scientific/medical evidence.
Such dubious claims undermine all the work that is ongoing towards working for the rights of those on the Spectrum as also empowering families. These misleading claims push the families of autistic children into further vulnerability and blocks their agency. This defeats years of efforts of all the well-informed persons including medical practitioners, researchers, disability rights activists, and other professionals working towards improving the quality of life of families of autistic children and restoring their basic right to dignity.
In addition to this, Mantry also declares that, the said cure is possible within two to three years of his treatment which costs Rs, 50,00,000/- to Rs. 60,00,000/- (Rupees fifty to sixty lakhs) per year. We see this as nothing but financial exploitation of vulnerabilities of the families of autistic children. The website goes on to claim that if there is no urgent treatment, the children grow on to experience sexual desires and “violent tendencies”. This is at all levels an abuse, coercion and extortion, pushing the families to further marginalization.
[https://www.mantryhealthcare.com/service/autism/]
Many other specious claims are also made on his website and YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX1cjI3s94ZHWzOs6RheFuw
Among these are cures for depression, bipolar, anxiety, cancer, insomnia, premature ejaculation etc. On top of it, he also propagates that homosexuality is a disease.
All these, you will concur are a gross and blatant violation of various laws, rules and ethics governing medical treatment in India. It also violates the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
We are also given to understand that complaint/s has/have been lodged against him with the MMC earlier too.
Under these circumstances, it is incumbent upon the Maharashtra Medical Council to act fast to repudiate such claims being made by Kailash Mantry, for what it is and also proceed to take appropriate action against him, as per law established, before he causes more damage.
Yours truly,
Sd/-
1) Muralidharan, GS, National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled
2) Seema Lal, Founder, Together We Can Kerala, Researcher-Empowerment
3) Kanti Ganguly, GS, Paschim Banga Rajya Prathibandhi Sammelani
4) Namburajan, GS, TN Assn for the Rights of Differently-Abled & Caregivers
5) Vijayan, President, Differently-Abled Welfare Federation, Kerala
6) Sathwik Adivaiah, GS, Vikalangula Hakkula Jathiya Vedika, Telangana
7) Prof TMN Deepak, State President, December 3 movement, Tamilnadu
8) Appala Naidu, GS, Vikalangula Hakkula Jathiya Vedika, Andhra Pradesh
9) Rishikesh Rajli, GS, Haryana Viklang Adhikar Manch, Haryana
10) Rangappa, GS, Karnataka Rajya Angavikalara Mattu Palakara Okkota
11) Salil Debbarma, Secretary, Tripura Prathibandhi Adhikar Manch
12) Dayabhai Gajera, Gujarat Viklang Adhikar Manch
13) Shampa Sengupta, Director, Sruti Disability Rights Centre, Kolkata
14) Lakshwadeep Disabled Association
15) Srikishan Ahirwal, Madhya Pradesh Viklang Adhikar Manch
16) Subash Gupta, Jharkhand Viklang Morcha
17) Merry Barua, Action for Autism
18) Dr. Satendra Singh, Founder, Doctor with Disabilities: Agents of Change
19) Rupsa Mallik, CREA, New Delhi
20) Asha Hans, SMRC, Bhubaneswar
21) Gautam Chaudhury, Kolkata
22) Meenakshi Balasubramaniam, Chennai
23) Shilpaa Anand, BITS-Pilani Hyderabad Campus
24) Shriyuta Abhishek, SEARCH Gadchiroli.
25) Bhushan Punani, Ahmedabad
26) Dr. Shubhangi Vaidya, Parent of a young adult with Autism
27) Vishu (Young adult with Autism)
28) Suchitra Narayan, Ernakulam
29) Anand Kumtha, Parent of an Autistic Son
30) Forum for Autism, Maharashtra
31) Dr Sangeeta Saksena, Co-founder, Enfold Proactive Health Trust
32) Kim Fernandes, University of Pennsylvania
33) Abhishek Anicca, Delhi
34) Bindhulakshmi Pattadath, Associate Professor, TISS, Mumbai
35) Chitra Iyer, Parent
36) Danish Mahajan, Founder, Radioudaan
37) Seema Baquer, Cross Disability Consultant, Delhi
38) Prof.Mohan Rao, former professor at CSMH, JNU
39) Parul Kumtha
40) Sunetra Neogy, Point of View, Mumbai
41) Viveka Chattopadhyay, Consultant ASD & CP
42) Brinelle D'souza, TISS & Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, Mumbai
43) Atul Jaiswal, Postdoctoral fellow, University of Montreal
44) Indu Chaswal
45) Dr. Bubai Bag, Asst. Professor, Bagnan College, University of Calcutta
46) Oshin Dhawan, Research Scholar
47) Nandini Ghosh, Asst. Prof, Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata
48) Sarojini N, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan
49) Veena Shatrugna, Fr. Dy Director, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyd
50) Gopi, Managing Trustee, Special Child Assistance Network (SCAN) Trust
51) Bhavna Botta
52) Dr. Aravinda Bhat, Manipal Academy of Higher Education
53) Dr. A. Marisport, Gujarat National Law University
54) Srilatha Juvva, Professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences
55) Pavan Muntha, Disability Rights Activist, Andhra Pradesh
56) Maitreya Shah, Gujarat National Law University
57) Manisha Gupte, Feminist Activist, Pune
58) Ruby Singh, Parent of an adult on the Spectrum
59) Nachiket Udupa, concerned individual
60) Charu Sharan
61) Sunita Lele
62) Sushama Nagarkar (ASK) Adult Support Kendra
63) Nicole and Suhasini (ASK) Adult Support Kendra
64) Amar Pawar, PhD research candidate, Centre for Pol. Studies, JNU
65) Tapas Bhardwaj, Delhi
66) Aditi Muranjan
67) Dr Nidhi Singhal, Director, Research & Trainings, Action for Autism
68) Banibrata Mahanta, Professor of English
69) Hiranya Bhargavi
70) Rachna Chaudhary, Ph.D. Asst. Prof. (Gender Studies), Ambedkar Uni.
71) Arun Sagar, Jindal Global Law School, Sonipat, Haryana
72) Nidhi Goyal, Founder & Executive Director: Rising Flame
73) Abha Khetarpal, President, Cross the Hurdles
74) Bhanu Priya, Research and Program Associate, NCDHR
75) Nilesh Singit, Disability Rights Activist, Mumbai
76) Disability Activists Forum, West Bengal
77) Indrani Basu, Autism Society of West Bengal
78) Iona Kundu, MENTAID, (Association for Intellectually Disabled), Kolkata
79) Bahni Bhattacharya, Parent of Autistic Adult & Spl. Educator, Kolkata
80) Prachi Deo, Founder, Nayi Disha Resource Centre
81) Sanchar AROD, Kolkata
82) Sandhya Limaye, Professor, TISS, Mumbai
83) Tanushree Sarkar, Doctoral candidate, Vanderbilt University