Now, NHRC can suggest relief

The Home Ministry’s move was prompted by the petition of two women — Laxmi Devi and Savitri Devi — whose husbands were killed by a drunken BSF constable in a village in Ganganagar distrist of Rajasthan four years ago. The women wanted compensation and as such, the NHRC is not authorised to deal with such complaints.

The petitions sparked off a legal battle between the NHRC and the Home Ministry — the NHRC argued that addressing the issue of relief for the victim was different from handling the complaints of rights abuse by the security forces.

After initial resistance, the Home Ministry ‘‘realised the merit in the Commission’s contention’’ and said it could recommend compensation in such cases.

The NHRC has ordered the government to pay Rs 2 lakh each to the families of Om Prakash and Gopi Ram, who were killed by the BSF constable in 2002.