Govt blasts Army, announces Rs three lakh to fake encounter victims

Tinsukia, May 9 (UNI) The Asom government today announced a grant of Rs three lakh for the rehabilitation of the family of Budheswar Moran, allegedly killed in a fake encounter by the Army here.

Maintaining that the Army had no right to kill innocent people, government spokesperson Pradyut Bordoloi told reporters in Tinsukia that the state government had announced Rs three lakh for rehabilitation of Moran's family till the inquiry was completed.

'' The Chief Minister is very much concerned about the killing of innocent people in the name of anti-insurgency operation. Such incident should not recur. The government will take responsibility of the family, '' he said.

Mr Bordoloi, also the MLA of the nearby Margherita constituency in the same district and a Cabinet Minister, urged the villagers to cooperate in the inquiry and be present during the hearing.

He said the high-level inquiry committee had been instructed to submit its report within a month.

Meanwhile, over 5,000 villagers continued to block the NH 37 at Rupai, seven km from Doomdooma, demanding a halt to the Army ''atrocities''.

They, however, agreed to accept Moran's body, lying in the morgue since Sunday. The cremation is likely to take place tonight.

UNI