Dispur coughs up Rs 40 lakh compensation

FAKE ENCOUNTERS

After six encounters turn out fake, NHRC tells Assam government to pay up

From a Correspondent

New Delhi, Oct 26: The Assam government has paid Rs 40 lakh as compensation to the kin of victims allegedly killed in fake encounters by State police.

The State government has released the money following instruction from the tiol Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

"In six cases of deaths in encounter with police, the Government of Assam paid total Rs 40 lakh as relief to the next of kin of the victims.  In all these cases, the State government could not convince the commission in response to its notices that the encounters were genuine and the police had to open fire in self-defence," said an NHRC spokesperson.

Out of these, four cases were registered by the commission in the year 2010. Two other cases were registered in the year 2011.

According to police claims, all these encounters involved suspected extremists and were carried out by police alone or in joint operations with security forces in different districts of Assam. Recording the compliance of its recommendations by the State Government, the commission closed these cases.  According to the NHRC, the first case related to the death of Javed Muchahari and Silvestine Borgayari in police firing in Sonitpur district on September 18, 2010.  The next of kin of both the victims have been paid Rs 5 lakh each.

The second case related to the death of Robertson Bidar and Daful Sangma in police firing in Godhabill village of Udalguri district on January 10, 2010.  The next of kin of both the victims have been paid Rs 5 lakh each.

The third case was related to the death of Babul Gogoi in Tinmileghat Poba reserve forest in Dhemaji district on June 13, 2009.  The next of kin of the victim has been paid Rs 5 lakh.

Similarly, the deaths of Rajib Basumatary in Guwahati on October 30, 2009, Arup Boruah and Jintu Changmai in Sibasagar district on May 7, 2009 and Nikudin Rabha in Kokrajhar district on February 10, 2011, have been found to be cases of fake encounters, the commission said.