New Delhi: The National Human Rights
Commission (NHRC) has asked the Jammu and Kashmir government
to pay a monetary relief of Rs five lakh to the family of a
person who died after being tortured in the custody of state
police six years ago.
The Commission has also directed the state government
to submit a compliance report along with proof of the payment
of the money to the victim's family within eights weeks
from the date of the receipt of its recommendation.
Mohan Lal, a rickshaw puller in Amritsar, Punjab, had
been picked up by Jammu and Kashmir Police for interrogation
in connection with some burglaries in July, 2003.
"He (Mohan Lal) was tortured (by policemen) during
interrogation following which he died on July 2, 2003 in
police line hospital of Jammu," the rights panel observed.
Sixteen ante-mortem injuries were found on his body in
the first postmortem conducted at Government Medical College
in Jammu after his death, it said.
Later, a second postmortem was conducted in Amritsar
on the insistence of his relatives when as many as "41
ante-mortem injuries including six marks of electric shocks"
were found on his body, it added.
NHRC said that the Commission took up the matter on a
complaint filed by human rights activist Suhas Chakma on July
9, 2003. Commission said it issued a show cause notice to the
Jammu and Kashmir government but no reply was received.
The Commission said it recommended payment of a
monetary relief of Rs five lakh to the next of kin of the
deceased as "the state government failed to submit any reply
to the show cause notice (issued by the Commission)."
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, August 21, 2009, 18:24