Minister questions integrity of some lawyers, policemen in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Minister of state for home, Tusharkanti Behera, on Monday questioned the integrity of some lawyers and police personnel, accusing them of abusing the Odisha victim compensation scheme, 2017.
“Some of the lawyers and police officers work in nexus, take commission from victims and misuse the scheme. Many such cases have come to my notice. Sadly, the victims are still unaware of the Odisha victim compensation scheme and its benefits,” Behera said on the sidelines of a programme, organised by a private legal organisation to help victims of crime to avail the benefits of government’s compensation scheme.
The minister said the legal sections in atrocity cases, including the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, are being used as a political tool to harass others.
“In such cases, some police officials help lawyers to prove false cases as true to enable the victims get compensation from the government. In turn, they get commission from the victims or their kin. This should not happen,” the minister said.