The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday asked the Government of Uttar Pradesh, through its Chief Secretary, to pay ₹7.5 lahks to the next of kin of Safadr Ali Khan who was mauled to death by violent stray dogs in the Aligarh Muslim University campus (AMU) in April 2023.
Sixty-five-year-old, Mr. Khan was mauled by a pack of street dogs when he was out in a park inside the AMU Campus for a morning walk. The incident was widely reported and a video of it also went viral on social media.
The Commission had registered a suo motu case based on a media about the incident. It issued the notices to the Chief Secretary (UP), the Vice-Chancellor, AMU, and the Commissioner, Aligarh Municipal Corporation calling for a detailed report.
The Commission stated that the concerned authorities forwarded a letter from the Registrar, AMU stating that the notice of the Commission does not contain any instruction that the university must comply. The varsity also mentioned that there is no violation of human rights on the part of the university.
“The Commission noted that the concerned authorities were passing the buck in the matter. Therefore, it observed that the benefits arising from the order cannot be denied to the victims of a violation of human rights by the authority due to an act of negligence and abetment by the public servant. Accordingly, it confirmed the amount of relief of ₹7.5 lakh as mentioned in its show cause notice recommending that it has to be paid to the victim’s next of kin,” the Commission noted in a communique.
The Commission has also asked for a compliance report of the proof of payment which needs to be shared within eight weeks.
Published - May 03, 2024 04:26 pm IST
