The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the State Government to pay an additional compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of deceased Basant Pradhan, a victim of custodial torture at the Balangir police station in 2014.
Disposing of the petition filed by Puri-based rights activist Jayanta Kumar Das, the apex rights body directed the Government to pay the family of the victim Rs 2 lakh over and above the compensation already paid to them.
Besides, the commission also sought a report on the departmental action initiated against the erring police personnel.
On June 21 last year, the NHRC had issued a show-cause notice to the Government why a monetary compensation of Rs 5 lakh should not be recommended to be paid to the next of kin of deceased.
The Government had already paid Rs 3 lakh to the widow of the victim.
Basant Pradhan was picked up by Balangir police with the help of Titlagarh police on June 10, 2014 on charges of buying a stolen mobile phone. However, he fell sick in the police station and as his condition deteriorated, he was admitted to the hospital where he was declared dead by the doctors soon after his admission on June 28, 2014.