Eighteen years after his seven family members were shot dead by terrorists, The J&K State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has ordered the state government to pay a compensation of Rs.35 lakhs to Roop Lal of the border village of Mendhar in the Poonch district.
Member of the SHRC, Jung Bahadur Singh Jamwal, in the order on Thursday, observed that the delay in giving relief to the victim amounted to glaring “violation of human rights”.
Roop Lal had filed a complaint with the SHRC in 2010 saying that seven members of his family were killed by terrorists in an attack on his house on 2 July 1999 and the state government had paid him an exgratia of only Rs.one lakh and no one from the family was given government job as was provided under the rules.
Jamwal observed that “after careful scrutiny of material available on record, the commission is satisfied that the complainant has made out a good case for grant of compensation to the tune of Rs 35 lakh. “The chief secretary of the state is directed to pay the sum of Rs five lakh each to the complainant against the killing of seven members of his family,” he said.
“The incident is rare but the authorities concerned with the payment of compensation were reluctant and ignorant about the pain and sufferings of the complainant. The compensation whatever was due within the ambit of various beneficial schemes floated by the government should have been extended to the complainant,” he added.