JAMMU: The state government on Thursday revealed it had refused to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation — as recommended by the State Human Rights Commission (
SHRC) — to
Farooq Ahmad Dar, who was used as a human shield by the
Indian Army in Kashmir last year.
The compensation was declined citing that Dar's human rights were allegedly violated by the
Army and not the state government.
In a written reply to National Conference legislator Ali Mohammad Sagar's query about the non-payment of the compensation, chief minister
Mehbooba Mufti stated that the government had already fulfilled its duty by ordering a probe into the case and registering an FIR against the Army for wrongful confinement, abduction and criminal intimidation.
The SHRC recommendation was "unacceptable", the CM said, since paying compensation before the investigation is complete would be punishing the accused before they are proven guilty. There is no government policy to compensate victims of human rights violation by the Army, she added.
On July 10, 2017, the SHRC had stated that it lacked jurisdiction to intervene in the matter. On April 9, 2017 — the polling day — Dar was tied to the bonnet of an Army vehicle.
