Indian Express: Mumbai: Sunday, March 17, 2013.
The Dhule
collector recommended that no compensation should be given to the six Muslim
men who were killed in police firing on January 6 because they had been part of
the rioting mob. Collector Prakash Mahajan appeared to have found the victims
guilty even though none of the three FIRs named the six men as having been part
of the mob.
The Chief Minister’s Office, however, ignored
the recommendation and asked Mahajan to hand over Rs 5 lakh to the family of
each of the six.
“The six
individuals are not eligible for compensation according to government rules as
it has been concluded that the six had taken part in rioting,” Mahajan said in
a letter to the CMO on January 18.
Vaibhav
Rajeghtage, deputy director, Accounts and Funds in the CMO, wrote back on
January 31: “The approved compensation (of Rs 1.21 crore) should be distributed
to the next of kin of the deceased, the injured and those who suffered
financial damage after proper verification and adhering to the rules...”
The
collector’s letter was obtained by activist Nisar Tamboli under the RTI Act.
On February
2, Mahajan wrote to the home secretary, arguing that rules did not allow for
payment of compensation to rioters. On February 5, the CMO wrote to him saying
it had taken cognizance of his letter but he should distribute the
compensation.
“You have
informed us... that the six dead... are not eligible for compensation... On
humanitarian grounds a compensation of Rs 5 lakh from the CM’s Relief Fund has
been cleared for them. The money should be distributed to the next of kin...,”
the CMO said.
The
compensation was handed over on February 7.
Reached for a
comment, Mahajan insisted that the six were rioters. Asked why the FIRs had not
named them, he said: “The FIR does say there was a mob of 3,000-4,000 people
and those who died were part of this mob.”
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