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2.5-lakh compensation to custodial victim's family

Correspondent

Court asks State to make payment in two months

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Friday directed the State Government to pay a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakhs to the family members of Rabindra Kumar Sahu of Puri district, who died at Chandanpur police station lockup in November 2001.

A bench comprising Justice A K Ganguly and Justice N Prusty adjudicating a petition of Rabindra's widow Shobharani, asked the State Government to pay the compensation to the custodial victim's family within two months from the date of judgment.

Claiming adequate compensation for the custodial death of her husband, Shobhamani had moved the court stating that her husband was brutally tortured inside the lockup for two days as a result he succumbed to his injuries.

``Rabindra did not commit suicide as claimed by the police,'' the petitioner said.

Although, the then in-charge officer of the police station was suspended and the State Government had announced a compensation amount of Rs 50,000 to Rabindra's family, Shobharani had refused to accept the paltry amount.

Loss of livelihood

Instead, she decided to move the high court for a direction to the State Government to pay adequate compensation, as Rabindra was the only breadwinner of her family of five members.

Seeking exemplary punishment to the erring policemen, Shobhamani claimed that her husband was innocent but paid a heavy price due to the whimsical attitude of the police.

"The police in connection with a theft case had picked up my husband on October 30, 2001.

Instead of forwarding him to the court within 24 hours, he was illegally detained in the lockup and was given third degree treatment for two days by the police.

On the morning of November 2, 2001, my husband was found dead under suspicious condition inside the lockup with deep injury marks in his body," Shobhamani had alleged in her petition.

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