Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who is busy hosting Bollywood stars and hardselling the image of Jammu & Kashmir as a favourite tourist destination, is yet to grant compensation to the family of Chamel Singh.
Chamel Singh, facing charges of espionage, was brutally murdered inside Kot lakhpat jail on January 15, 2013. Since then, both the Centre and the State Government have denied adequate compensation to the poor family reeling under acute financial crisis.
In Jammu, Chamel’s family has been waiting since April 2015 to meet the Chief Minister in person but his office secretariat is yet to respond to the request for a personal meeting between the two.
Dara Singh, elder son of Chamel Singh, told The Pioneer, “We continue to run from pillar to post to seek justice from both the Centre and State Government, but in vain”.
The family decided to meet the Chief Minister after Minister in-charge State Home department informed the State Assembly that there was no provision to award compensation in such cases while referring to the circumstances leading to Chamel Singh’s tragic death inside a central jail in Pakistan.
According to BJP MlA Sat Paul Sharma, “A formal letter was handed over to the Principal Secretary to Chief Minister BB Vyas on April 23,2015 with a request to allot suitable time and date to fix meeting of Chamel Singh’s kin with the Chief Minister. Sharma claimed he is yet to receive formal response from the CM’s office secretariat.”
Former HoD of the History department and famous columnist Prof Hari Om told The Pioneer, “While BJP was in Opposition they always accused the Congress-led UPA for ignoring the plight of Chamel Singh’s family. Now one year after coming to power even the BJP has failed to do justice with the kith and kin of Chamel Singh.”
In his request letter to the Chief Minister BJP MlA Sat Sharma had also demanded a sum of 25 lakh as compensation to his family. Sharma had also urged the Chief Minister to adjust his sons in the state govt besides bestowing ‘Martyrs status’ to Chamel Singh.