Assam: The Gauhati High Court has ordered the Centre to pay a total of Rs. 20 lakh to the families of five people killed in a bogus encounter in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district nearly three decades ago.
The Gauhati High Court has ordered the Centre to pay a total of Rs. 20 lakh to the families of five people who were killed in a fake encounter in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district nearly three decades ago.
Pay Rs 20 lakh for 5 victims of 1994 Assam Army killings: HC to Centre
The Gauhati HC on Thursday directed the Centre to pay compensation of Rs 20 lakh each to the families of five youths killed by the Army in Assam’s Tinsukia district in 1994 during an anti-insurgency oper… pic.twitter.com/d0nRZIcEJF
— GUWAHATI METRO TIMES (@guwahati_m_time) March 10, 2023
According to advocate Pari Barman, the court also declared the case closed due to the long time elapsed, making it difficult to retrieve evidence or witnesses.
The order was issued by a division bench of Justices Achintya Malla Bujor Barua and Robin Phukan, she said.
Also Read: Assam Scripts History, Gets Into Guinness Book Of World Records With Essays On Bir Lachit Barphukan
“Today, the case was closed. The court has ordered the Union of India to pay Rs 20 lakh in compensation to the five deceased’s next of kin “She went on to say.
The case involves the killing of five youths who were among nine All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) members apprehended by the Army in the Doomdooma circle of Tinsukia district in February 1994, after the ULFA murdered a tea estate manager.
Fearing for the safety of the nine youths, then-AASU leader Jagadish Bhuyan, who later became a state minister, immediately filed a habeas corpus petition before the high court, prompting the Army to produce four of them alive and the bodies of the others later.
In 2018, an Army court found seven members of the 18 Punjab Regiment of Dhola camp responsible for the killings guilty and sentenced them to life in prison.
According to Barman, the Tinsukia district judge has been asked to identify the next of kin, who must file their claim within 15 days.
According to Barman, the compensation amount will be deposited with the high court and distributed to the victims’ families as determined by the district judge.
