4. Rs. 2.5 lakh relief for Punjab Mass Cremation victim
The Commission, on 4 October 2005, ordered the Punjab Government to pay a compensation of Rs. 2.5 lakh to the next of kin of a man who died in police custody in 1992 during its anti-terror drive, thus rejecting the administration's claim that this was not a case of custodial death. Paramjit Singh was one of the victims of the "secret mass cremations" in Punjab.
However, the Punjab Government had field an affidavit that Paramjit was not in the custody of the police prior to his death. Dismissing the affidavit, a Bench comprising the Chairperson Justice A.S. Anand and Members Justice Shivaraj V. Patil, Justice Y. Bhaskar Rao and Shri R.S. Kalha said a statement of a senior police officer showed that Paramjit had been arrested in an injured condition and had died in the police custody.
The Punjab Government will have to pay half of the compensation money to the next of kin of Paramjit and the rest would be kept in a fixed deposit for a period of five years. A compliance report would have to be sent to the NHRC. The NHRC, in November last year, had announced compensation of Rs. 2.5 lakh each to be paid to the next of kin of 109 persons who had died while in the custody of police.
However, the Punjab Government had field an affidavit that Paramjit was not in the custody of the police prior to his death. Dismissing the affidavit, a Bench comprising the Chairperson Justice A.S. Anand and Members Justice Shivaraj V. Patil, Justice Y. Bhaskar Rao and Shri R.S. Kalha said a statement of a senior police officer showed that Paramjit had been arrested in an injured condition and had died in the police custody.
The Punjab Government will have to pay half of the compensation money to the next of kin of Paramjit and the rest would be kept in a fixed deposit for a period of five years. A compliance report would have to be sent to the NHRC. The NHRC, in November last year, had announced compensation of Rs. 2.5 lakh each to be paid to the next of kin of 109 persons who had died while in the custody of police.