The damage recovery figure in the 2012 Azad Maidan riots has dropped from Rs 2.73 crores to Rs 36 lakhs.
Two protestors were killed and many others, including police personnel, were injured after protestors turned violent and burnt vans, damaged property, vandalised police vehicles and molested women police constables in August 2012.
During the last few hearings, the Mumbai Collector had told the Bombay High Court that the damage had been assessed at Rs 2.73 crores and had issued recovery notices to the organisers of the rally.
But Collector Shaila A. has recently filed an affidavit stating that the total damage to the stakeholders — BEST, Police, BMC and Fire Brigade — was Rs. 36 lakh and that she had issued recovery notices to 60 persons for causing the damage.
“I say that after making the enquiry and upon appreciating the evidence of the claimants, compensation was determined by me to the extent of Rs. 36,44,680, payable to the claimants as follows — Police department Rs. 25,78,379; BEST Rs. 4,05,964; BMC Rs. 3,45,300; and Fire Brigade Rs. 3,15,037,” the Collector said in an affidavit filed recently before the court.
She said 60 persons were found responsible for the damage and the recovery notices were issued against them.
But the petitioners have claimed that the government has backtracked from its position. “This is complete failure in implementing the directions of the Bombay High Court, which had earlier observed that even the assessment of Rs 2.73 crores was low,” advocate Virendra Ichalkaranjikar told The-Hindu .
During the previous hearings, the court had asked the authorities to reassess the damage, observing that the authorities should make an independent assessment, instead of going by the figures given by the police.
Earlier, the Collector had taken into account the damage to private property as well, including media vans and private cars that were torched by angry rioters.
Petitioners had claimed that the assessed amount was far less than the actual damage as it did not include the medical expenditure incurred by the injured police personnel and other similar losses.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday gave the petitioners eight weeks to file a reply to the Collector’s affidavit.