THE GOVERNMENT of National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi has to release monetary relief amounting to Rupees 1,00,000 to Surendra Singh, a poor street vendor, who in June 2003 became a victim of highhandedness on the part of the police. Recently, the National Human Rights Commission recommended to this effect to the government of NCT of Delhi while finally deciding on a complaint filed on June 19, 2003, by Surendra Singh, a resident of East Sagarpur, in the South-West district of New Delhi.

Explaining his stand, Singh said that he earned his livelihood by making poly-stone idols and a sum of Rs.1,01,500 was due to be paid back to one Shripal, which he did not pay despite several requests. Further, at the instigation of Shripal, Ashok Kumar, head constable and Naresh Kumar, constable, entered his house on June 4, 2003, when he was away and took away some idol moulds. He contended that he had incurred a loss on account of police high-handedness and sought NHRC’s intervention for initiating appropriate action against the police personnel concerned.

On NHRC’ instructions, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, South West District, inquired into the matter and submitted a report. The report said that Head Constable Ashok Kumar and Constable Naresh Kumar had acted on their own, without ascertaining the ownership of the disputed articles and allowed the articles to be carried away by Shripal in the absence of the complaint.

This report formed the basis of the NHRC complaint that Surendra Singh had become a victim of police high-handedness. A ‘show-cause’ notice was issued to the government of NCT, Delhi, since the police had failed to protect the rights of the complainant. Responding to the notice, the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, while opposing the grant of monetary relief to the victim submitted that both the police officials in question had been censured for their conduct. The Commission saw no merit in the plea submitted by state of Delhi, as there was no criminal case against the victim; the police had wrongly implicated him in the case after seizing the articles lying in the complainant’s house. For this act of violation of rights by the police, the NHRC issued a direction to the government of NCT, Delhi, to pay a sum of Rs 1,00,000 as monetary relief to the victim Surendra Singh and report compliance within eight weeks, with proof of the payment made.

In another case, the NHRC issued a notice to the Director General of Police, Haryana, the District Magistrate, Bhiwani and the Superintendent of Police, Hissar/Bhiwani, asking them to take appropriate action after conducting investigations in line with the guidelines of the NHRC. The case concerned the killing of a student Kuldeep, aged 22 by the Hisar Police in an encounter on account of mistaken identity. The NHRC asked the said officers to submit a report on the incident within eight weeks. The Commission took suo motu cognizance of the killing after the media reported that a youth had been killed on account of mistaken identity. Thanks to NHRC, a ray of hope had emerged for the aggrieved.