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NHRC gives Rs 500,000 interim relief in serial blasts case

The National Human Rights Commission has awarded Rs 500,000 interim relief to a Muslim family -- the first such settlement in the 1993 Bombay serial blasts case -- noting that the victims were subjected to humiliation, harassment and torture in police custody.

The police had arrested and interrogated the family after seizing "rocket launchers" from their house, which turned out to be spindles used in cotton mills.

Iqbal Ismail Haspatel, his nephew Mubin and some of the womenfolk of the family were arrested on April 13, 1993, and kept in police custody till April 28. They were subsequently discharged by a trial court for lack of evidence.

The NHRC, while awarding the interim relief on the basis of findings recorded by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Maharashtra police, termed the treatment meted out to the family as "wholly inconsistent with the norms of decency".

But with regard to the victims' allegation that a considerable amount of valuable property -- estimated at Rs 187,000 -- was taken away by the police during search operations, the NHRC observed that this would require verification.

The commission directed the state government to expeditiously conduct disciplinary proceedings against the guilty police officers and send its compliance report by March 1.

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