By Muslim Mirror Staff
The Assam government told the Gauhati High Court on Wednesday that it had paid Rs 30 lakh in compensation to five Muslim families whose houses were arbitrarily bulldozed following an attack on a police station in Nagaon in 2022 over a custodial death.
The BJP government in the northeastern state was earlier directed by the Guwahati High Court to provide compensation to the persons affected by the demolition.
On 21 May 2022, a mob torched the Batadrava police station in Nagaon district, a day after a fish trader, Safikul Islam, died in custody. A day after the police station was burnt down, the police demolished the homes of the accused men.
When the issue was first brought to the Guwahati High Court in November 2022, it condemned the police act of demolition.
Coming down sharply at the police, the HC compared its actions to a ‘gang war’. On January 3 last year, the state government assured strict action and compensation to the families whose houses were destroyed.
The Gauhati High Court also stated that a government-appointed inquiry had admitted Islam’s death was a case of custodial death. “This is a clear case of vicarious liability of the state,” the court said.
On Wednesday, Senior Advocate D Nath, appearing for the Assam government, told the court that the Nagaon superintendent of police paid the compensation money to the five families on Monday.
Additionally, advocate Nath said that the Hemanta Biswa Sarma government had also paid Islam’s family a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakhs, The Indian Express reported. ( With Agencies Inputs )