Gujarat: NHRC orders Rs 5 lakh compensation for tribal’s death in ‘police custody’

National Human Rights Commission (File Photo)

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has ordered the Gujarat government to pay Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the family of a tribal man who died allegedly in police custody in Dahod district four years ago. It has also set a six-week deadline for the state government to file a compliance report.

This comes amid last week’s violence in the district over the alleged custodial murder of another tribal. Read: Interrogation death sets off protest, farmer dies in Gujarat police firing

The case pertains to the death of 44-year-old Sadiyabhai Katara of Bambela village in Jhalod taluka of Dahod district on December 3, 2013. The state Home department, which had first failed to respond to the NHRC’s repeated reminders, eventually argued that no compensation could be given to the family since the tribal man had died a natural death.

The Commission — which had received a complaint filed by one Subash Mohapatra of Odisha-based Global Human Rights Communications — rejected the state government’s argument.

According to Mohapatra, officials of Jhalod police station had summoned Katara and a few others to the police station in connection with a land dispute. “Except Katara, all others were let go by the police. Katara was kept in custody. The next morning, he was found dead on the terrace of the police station,” said Mohapatra. He had registered a complaint with NHRC on December 9, 2013 in connection with Katara’s death seeking compensation for Katara’s next of kin and action against the police officials responsible for his death.