NHRC give Rs 2.8 cr aid to 89 STF torture victims

New Delhi, Jan 15: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today announced interim relief of Rs 2.8 crore to 89 victims of atrocities, including women, by the joint Special Task Force during operations against slain forest brigand Veerappan.

Addressing a press conference, NHRC acting chairperson Shivraj Patil said the amount would be divided amongst the 89 people.

The special task force was formed by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where the brigand used to operate.

Complainants had alleged that people in both states were illegally detained and tortured, and women were subjected to sexual harassment.

The compensation is to be jointly paid by the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments, which have so far refused to pay the victims.

In 1999, the Commission had ordered setting up of a two-member inquiry panel, headed by Justice A Sadasiva (Retd) to look into the allegations of human rights violations by the STF.

The panel submitted its report in 2003 and the compensation is being awarded on the basis of its recommendations.

Giving details about the distribution of the relief money, Justice Patil said it includes families of 36 victims killed under suspicious circumstances who will be paid Rs 5 lakh each and a woman, who was repeatedly raped over a period of several days, will be given Rs 5 lakh. Three people, who were illegally detained and tortured will be paid Rs 2 lakh each, 18 victims tortured for a month or more will be paid Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh each, and three people who suffered permanent disability will be paid Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh.

Fifteen people languishing in jails will get Rs 2 lakh each and the family of a disappeared person will be given Rs 3.5 lakh.

Justice Patil said the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Governments had raised some objections on ''technical grounds'' about the relief when the recommendations were sent to them.

''We prevailed upon them that such issues should be delt on human considerations rather than technical grounds as people had suffered,'' he said.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary and the Karnataka Additional Chief Secretary had told the Commission in December 2006 that the state governments were willing to pay relief decided by it.

''The state governments have earmarked Rs 5 crore for the relief,'' Justice Patil said.

He expressed the hope that both the Governments would utilise remaining amount on developmental projects for the affected people.

Initially the Commission had received just ten complaints, but during the inquiry of the Sadasiva panel more people came out to file their complaints of which 89 have been awarded the relief.

UNI