Compensation for minor victims in Delhi violence should be on par with adult victims: CPIM to Kejriwal

At least 53 people were killed and scores of others injured in the communal violence in February last year.Kejriwal had announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families who lost an adult member and Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the minors who died in the Delhi violence.


PTI | New Delhi | Updated: 06-01-2021 20:02 IST | Created: 06-01-2021 20:00 IST
Compensation for minor victims in Delhi violence should be on par with adult victims: CPIM to Kejriwal
File photo. Image Credit: ANI
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CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat has written to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urging him to ensure that families of minor victims of the Northeast Delhi riots get compensation on par with those of adult victims. At least 53 people were killed and scores of others injured in the communal violence in February last year.

Kejriwal had announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families who lost an adult member and Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the minors who died in the Delhi violence. Karat, who recently again met the family members of two victims, both minors, said that she was informed of the ''discrimination'' in the compensation.

''Presumably, the difference in compensation is because an adult is an earning member and the death of an earning member deprives the family of an income, thus more compensation is required. ''This understanding devoid of compassion itself is flawed but even within this framework, unfortunately, the usual definition used of an “earning member” is not sensitive to the reality in poor self-employed families where children even while attending school, take on adult responsibilities as far as assisting in family enterprises is concerned,¨ she said in her letter.

She said the two victims, Nitin Paswan, 15, and Amin, 17, helped in the earnings of their respective families. While Nitin helped his father with his goods handcart, Amin was an apprentice in a motorbike repair shop, and ''in both cases, the victims’ families are eligible for the full compensation of Rs 10 lakh'', Karat said.

In addition, she said, the Delhi Government must take into consideration the huge emotional loss, injury and trauma suffered by the parents of a minor killed in the violence. She appealed to the CM to extend the compensation to the families on the eve of the first death anniversary of the victims in February.

Kejriwal had also announced Rs 5 lakh each to those who have been permanently disabled and Rs 2 lakh each to those who were severely injured. People who sustained minor injuries were to be given Rs 20,000 each..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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