Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has directed the Odisha government to pay a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the family of the deceased who died while under police custody in June last year.
The Commission, in a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary, Home on March 6, has directed to furnish the report of compliance with regard to the payment of compensation to the wife of the deceased within eight weeks.
According to reports, the deceased Abhaya Kumar Singh (45), a resident of Palampur village under Purulia police station limits of West Bengal had come to Sambalpur with his younger brother Ajaya and brother-in-law Khata Singh during ‘Shitalasasthi’ festival to do business. However, they were arrested by Sambalpur Police from ‘Pirababa’ crossing on May 30 last year and kept in Town Police Station. On the next day, the trio was taken to Ainthapalli Police Station and then to Jujumura Police Station.
After keeping them in different police stations for a week, police forwarded Abhaya Singh to the court on June 7 which remanded him to the judicial custody.
It was alleged that by the time Abhaya was remanded to custody, he was not able to stand properly and he was in a serious condition. He was having vomiting and there was bleeding while he was urinating. He was kept in jail for three days, but when his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) on June 10 where he died June 19.
Following the incident, the human rights activists approached this Commission to initiate action against the errant police officers and direct the state government to provide adequate compensation to the next of kin of Abhaya Singh.
Taking a holistic view of the case, the Commission directed the state government to provide Rs 3 lakh as compensation to Heena Singh, wife of the deceased under Section 18(a)(i) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.
