GUWAHATI: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the Assam government to pay a sum of Rs 25,000 to the family of a child, who was assaulted inside a police station in the state.
On March 9 this year, a police official at the Laharijan police station in Morigaon district of Assam assaulted a child inside the station.
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Moreover, the NHRC has also asked the Assam government to initiate prosecution proceedings against the accused police official.
The accused police official has been identified as Upen Chandra Bordoloi, who serves as an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) with the Assam police.
Bordoloi caught a 13-year-old boy when he was trying to ‘steal’ case property from a seized vehicle parked inside the police station.
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The NHRC has directed the chief secretary of Assam to pay the compensation to the victim child within four weeks.
The matter will be next heard by the NHRC on October 21.
On the other hand, the accused police official “had been placed under suspension for indiscipline, gross misconduct and dereliction of government duty”.
“The report submitted by state police authorities admits and acknowledges the occurrence of the incident wherein the public servant has been found guilty,” the NHRC said in the order.
“This kind of human rights violation caused to a minor person by a police officer indicates the sorry state of affairs. The Commission has taken a serious note of the incident. Show cause notice under Section 18 of the Protection of Human Rights Act was issued to the chief secretary calling upon him as to why the interim relief of monetary compensation amounting to Rs 25,000 shall not be recommended by the Commission to be paid to the victim in the present case,” the NHRC also said.
“In response to the show cause notice issued by the Commission on July 22, no response has been received so far. Therefore, it appears that the authority concerned has nothing to say in respect of the payment of compensation to the victim of the present case,” the order of the NHRC stated.
“Hence, a recommendation is made for payment of Rs 25,000 to the victim child by the Assam government through its chief secretary. The chief secretary is directed to ensure disbursement of compensation amount in four weeks and forward the compliance report along with the proof of payment of the compensation amount to the Commission accordingly,” the order also said.
“Put up after four weeks. It is, therefore, requested that the compliance report in the matter be sent to the Commission by October 22, so that the same could be placed before the Commission,” it added.