New Delhi, 17th January, 2013
The National Human Rights Commission has asked the Uttar Pradesh Government to pay Rs. 5 lakhs as monetary relief to the next of kin of a minor girl who was killed and hanged by a constable when he failed to rape her in the premises of police station Nighasan in Lakhimpur District on the 10th June, 2011. The Commission had taken suo motu cognizance of the incident reported in the media.

After considering the material on record, it has observed that "in view of the report of the Investigation Team of this Commission and the investigation carried out by the CBCID, it is established, prima facie, that a police Constable attempted to rape the 14-year-old victim, strangulated her to death and then hanged her from a tree in the premises of Police Station Nighasan. Two Constables attempted to destroy evidence. The team of three doctors who conducted the postmortem examination colluded with the police and gave a false report on cause of death as ante-mortem hanging. The senior police officers committed dereliction of duty by not taking timely appropriate action. Hence, a clear case of grievous violation of human rights is made out."

In response to NHRC notices, the State Government informed that in addition initiating department proceedings against the delinquent policemen a charge-sheet u/s 302/376/511/201 IPC was filed in the court against them. A charge-sheet u/s 218 IPC had also been filed against the doctors concerned. The State Government in response to the show cause notice of the Commission also said that it had no objection if interim relief was provided to the next of kin of the victim.

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