AARYAN SHARMA
JAMMU: Just yesterday, Division Bench of J&K High Court comprising Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Tashi Rabstan had taken suo-moto cognisance of a news report published in STATE TIMES which had highlighted the plight of students struggling to retain their school building after the State Government had decided to demolish it to create space for parking lot.
In a swift move, the Division Bench even treated the news report as Public Interest Litigation and also restrained the government from closing any government school in the State which is functioning as on date and directed that prior permission shall be obtained with valid reason for taking such a step.
On the other hand, next of kin of Indian farmer Chamel Singh, resident of Pargwal in Akhnoor area are seeking justice from both the State Government and the Centre for over last three years and have also written to the Prime Minister and Home Minister on number of occasions to highlight their miseries but till date not a single institution of the great Indian democracy has come to the rescue of poor family.
In the past three years, Kamlesh Devi, the wife of Chamel Singh, along with her sons has not left any stone unturned to move the wheels of justice but all their efforts have failed to yield fruitful results till date.
Chamel Singh was mercilessly tortured to death inside the Kot Lakhpat Central Jail in Pakistan on January 15, 2013.
At the time of gruesome attack Chamel Singh was serving a five years term on charges of spying. In last communication to his family, Chamel Singh had shared details of his release at the end of five years jail term. But before walking free, he was lynched inside the jail by the jail authorities over a petty issue.
The case of compensation for kin of Chamel Singh assumes added significance at a time when the BJP-PDP alliance government had cleared the case of handing over ex-gratia to the next of kin of Burhan Wani’s elder brother, Khalid Muzaffar Wani. He was killed in army firing in Tral area of Pulwama district on April 13, 2015. Army had claimed that an Over Ground Worker of Hizbul Mujahideen was killed in firing incident but his family had alleged he was tortured to death by the army personnel.
Incidentally, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti while participating in the passing out parade ceremony of J&K Police at commando training centre in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday had told policemen to differentiate between militants and their family members. Everybody can’t be given same treatment,” she had said addressing the new recruits.
Now the question arises if the State Government can take a lenient view and clear the case of ex-gratia in favour of OGW killed by firing why it is ignoring the plight of a farmer who was mercilessly murdered inside Pak jail.
According to the family members Chamel Singh went missing from his native village in Pargwal area of Akhnoor in Jammu province in December 2008 and later booked for espionage and was brutalised in custody in Pakistan jail.
Even after his death his family had to wait for 57 days before the Pakistani authorities handed over Chamel’s body to the Indian authorities at Wagah border.
Quoting the State Government’s response on the issue in the State Assembly, Chamel Singh’s elder son Dara Singh said that during the Budget Session in 2015 when BJP MLA Sat Sharma had raised the issue of compensation for the kin of Chamel, Minister-in-Charge, Home Department, said that no compensation/relief has been provided to the family as there is no provision of compensation in such cases.
Referring to unfulfilled political promises, Chamel’s younger son Deepak said: “The Central Government, headed by Manmohan Singh and Akali Dal-led alliance Government in Punjab, compensated Sarabjeet’s family, provided a Government job to his daughter and also bestowed the title of ‘martyr’ on him. In contrast, more than three years have passed and we are still awaiting justice from the State and Union Governments.” He said, adding, “It is very unfortunate that the State Government maintains that there is no provision to compensate families of victims in such cases. We are not begging. Our father sacrificed his life inside a Pakistani jail and no one in the Government is willing to help us.”