Nearly eleven years after Pakistani terrorists had killed five sailors of fishing boat Kuber to hijack it to Mumbai for the 26/11 mayhem, one of the victim’s widow is likely receive a compensation now.
Five sailors of Porbandar-based fishing boat Kuber were the first victims of the infamous terror attack on Mumbai on 26 November 2008. Their families have not received any compensation so far from any government despite lamenting about it to reporters on eve of the attack’s anniversary every year.
The Gujarat High Court has on Tuesday ordered the Gujarat Government to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakhs to the widow of one of the five slain sailors.
Rejecting the Gujarat Government’s contention that there is no contingency fund for such compensation to civilian victims of terror attacks, Justice Bhargav Karia ruled that in that case Rs 5 lakhs should be paid to the petitioner Jashiben Bambhania from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
“Whenever any fund is available, the amount should be reimbursed to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund,” said the High Court judge.
The Gujarat Government had denied the compensation to the slain sailor’s widow on the basis of the revised guidelines of a Central scheme for assistance to civilian victims of terror attacks, communal violence or cross border firing.
Directing the State Government to deposit Rs 5 lakhs into the bank account of Jashiben, the High Court order also suggested that a bank account of the widow should be opened if she does not have one.
Jashiben’s husband Rameshbhai Bambhania was one of the five sailors on board the ill-fated boat fishing boat Kuber which was hijacked by the terrorists in the Arabian Sea.