STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The long wait of kin of Chamel Singh struggling to earn justice for almost four years ended on Monday soon after the State Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, for the first time, acknowledged the fact that his family needed to be compensated.
Singh was killed in a gruesome attack inside Pak central jail on January 15, 2013 and since then his family has been moving from one door to another to earn justice but all the doors stood shut on them during this period.
STATE TIMES too published series of news reports, highlighting the miserable condition of the kin of Chamel Singh and the urgent need for announcing adequate compensation package for his kin.
The long pending issue of handing compensation to the kin of Chamel Singh gathered momentum only recently when the Jammu and Kashmir government announced special compensation package for the victims of Kashmir unrest.
The state BJP ministers came under scanner, especially after State BJP chief Sat Pal Sharma raised the issue of compensation to the victims of Amarnath land row and Chamel Singh but they maintained stoic silence.
The Chief Minister, after sensing the mood of her alliance partner, on Monday made a statement in the Upper House saying, “I am willing to compensate the kin of Chamel Singh and all those victims of Amarnath land row who have not been compensated till date.
Mehbooba Mufti said this while winding up the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the Governor’s address in the Upper House.
Interestingly, her bete noire and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had never acknowledged the fact that one of the State residents was murdered inside the central jail in Pakistan and his family needed to be compensated. When he was asked to comment on the long delay caused in announcing compensation for the kin of Chamel Singh, Omar Abdullah had told media persons at the time of inaugurating fourth bridge on the River Tawi, “I am in touch with the Union Government over the issue of announcing compensation to the kin of Chamel Singh”.
The State BJP, Sat Pal Sharma kept pleading his case while all other legislators barring Ravinder Raina failed to raise their voice in support of the family of victim.
