Rights panel seeks compensation for staged-killing victim's kin

The NHRC issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government and sought compensation for the family of a man who was killed in a staged shootout seven years back in the southern state.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government and sought compensation for the family of a man who was killed in a staged shootout seven years back in the southern state.

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According to an NHRC spokesperson, the victim, Suresh, was shot by the police in Chennai in November 2002. Claiming that he was a habitual offender, the police said that on the night of the incident, Suresh, who was riding his bike, was asked to stop but he threw a bomb at them instead. Police say they fired back killing him.

"However, the additional district magistrate who probed the incident found that much of the police version was exaggerated. Taking note of this, the commission issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu government because no matter what his record may have been, there is no justification for killing him," an NHRC official said.

"The state government, in response, said that action against those police personnel was in process and a sum of Rs 100,000 was being considered as a compensation amount to the kin of the victim. However, NHRC has suggested a compensatory amount of Rs 300,000 and a compliance report on the same within eight weeks," the official added.