NEW DELHI : The National Human Rights Commission on Monday ordered the Punjab Government to disburse a monetary relief of Rs. 2.5 lakh each to the next of kin of 45 persons whom the State Government admitted were in police custody immediately before they were killed and illegally cremated.

This has taken the total number of illegally cremated bodies identified in the case to 1296. "With efforts from both sides we have come to identify close to 1300 bodies that have been illegally cremated. A little more effort should see that we identify more bodies. The object [of this exercise] is to apply balm to the families affected," said NHRC Chairperson Justice A. S. Anand.

Submission

During the hearing, Punjab Government counsel R. S. Suri said the names of 28 persons in the CBI list of 2097 persons, who were illegally cremated by security forces in Punjab, have been duplicated.

The Commission has given the petitioners in the case, the Committee for Information and Initiative on Punjab (CIIP), two weeks to respond.

Meanwhile, a two judge Bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice D. K. Jain has issued notice regarding the quantum of compensation awarded by the NHRC in a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the Coordination Committee for Disappeared Persons (CCDP) that represents a majority of the kin of the deceased.

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