National Commission for Scheduled Tribes raps Rajasthan Govt

New Delhi, Mar 15 (UNI) The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes has strongly rapped the Rajasthan Government for adopting a discriminatory policy towards tribals for grant of compensation to the victims of police firing.

In a letter sent yesterday to the Vasundhara Raje Government, the Commission said it was shocked to learn that the family of a tribal youth killed in the police firing on February 8 this year at Rishabhdeoji in Udaipur district, was paid a compensation of only Rs one lakh as compared to Rs five lakh paid to victims of earlier instances of police firing by the same government.

The Commission had taken cognisance of a complaint filed by Rajasthan Pradesh Congress committee general Secretary Ashk Ali Tak who had pointed out that the five victims of police firing at Sohala in Tonk district and six victims of police firing at Gharsana in Sri Ganganagar district were paid a compensation of Rs 5,00,000 each by the state government, while it discriminated against the tribal killed in Rishabhdeoji police firing by announcing a solatium of just Rs 1,00,000.

Mr Tak had also pointed out that in the previous two incidents the government had provided employment to a member of the deceased family. But in this case no employment to anyone from the family of Ram Lal, killed in the firing, was given.

"The Commission fails to understand the rationale behind the discriminatory policy being adopted by the State Government in respect of compensation and employment to the family of the deceased belonging to non-scheduled tribes on the one hand and Scheduled tribe on the other hand," the letter sent by the Commission to the Chief Secretary of the Rajasthan government said.

The Commission said the members of the Scheduled Tribes belonged to the weakest section of the society and the state government should have at least given the compensation on par with the other non-ST deceased, if not more.

While seeking an explanation from the government for adopting different norms for non-Scheduled Tribes, the Commission urged the Rajasthan Government to immediately increase the amount of compensation from Rs 1,00,000 to Rs 5,00,000 in respect of the widow of the deceased Ram Lal and also provide employment to one of the family members.

UNI