Taking serious note of the arrest of three persons on charges of terrorism in the Malleswaram bomb blast case and their release after six months for lack of evidence, the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) on Tuesday registered a suo motu case against the Bangalore city police.
The commission also issued a notice to the Chief Secretary to recommend to the State government an interim compensation of Rs. 2 lakh to each of the three people.
‘Within a month’
KSHRC member C.G. Hunugund, in a letter to the Chief Secretary, also directed payment of the compensation within a month from the date of receipt of the notice.
Peer Mohideen, Saddam Husain and Tenkasi Haneefa, all residents of Chennai, were released recently as the Bangalore police failed to prove their involvement in the case. They were lodged in the Bangalore Central Jail for six months.
Mr. Hungund said arresting the three and sending them behind bars on charges of terrorism for no fault of theirs amounted to serious lapses on the part of investigators. The police officers who subjected the innocent men to unjust detention and torture to extract confessions should be made accountable, he said.
‘Innocence established’
Dropping of names while filing charge sheet and the subsequent release of the accused showed that their innocence was established beyond doubt, he said. It further showed how deeply ingrained was the automatic association of Muslims with terrorism among police officers, Mr. Hungund added.
Anyone whose rights as a person had been violated could be regarded as a victim and the victim should be compensated. The award of compensation was just a small step towards correcting this and sensitising the police force.
The government needs no particular legal basis for paying compensation to citizens who have been unfortunate victims of wrongful arrest and torture in criminal cases, irrespective of the fact that the victim had a right to file a civil suit for compensation, he added.
