The Gujarat High Court on Thursday directed the State administration to pay Rs. four lakh as compensation to the kin of those who died in recent violence, during the agitation of Patel community seeking to add them in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) list.
As per the court direction, those who received permanent disability should be paid Rs. two lakh as compensation.
The State government accepted the court's direction for compensation and informed the court that the CID (crime) has been asked to probe “police excesses during the two day unrest.”
“The State government has decided to conduct a thorough, fair and impartial inquiry at the highest level into the aspects (of police atrocities) and has consequently passed an order on September 2, 2015 entrusting the inquiry to the CID (Crime),” stated in the affidavit filed by the State government during before the court, which disposed of the PIL after the administration's action.
The affidavit also stated that nine citizens and a police constable were killed in the violence while many received serious injuries.
“We have ordered the CID (crime) probe in the allegations of excesses the police committed while dealing with the agitators. The probe would also look into the allegation of policemen allegedly entering the Patel dominated societies, damaging vehicles and beating up men and women,” a minister in the Gujarat government said.
This is the second probe the CID (crime) has been entrusted to in the incidents that occurred during the unrest on August 25-26. Earlier, a division bench of the acting Chief Justice Jayant Patel had ordered CID (crime) probe in the alleged custodial death of a 32-year-old Shwetang Patel.
Following the High Court order, the state government has lodged an FIR naming seven cops, who had allegedly picked up Shwetang from his residence and severely beating him causing his death.
