On July 2, 1999 Ari village of Mendhar tehsil in Poonch district witnessed a blood bath perpetrated by terrorists wiping seven precious lives of an entire family. State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) sanctioned an ex-gratia relief of Rs.5 lakh per member while taking cognizance of the terror attack and disposing of a petition filed before it by the distressed and grieving family. It is a matter of utmost surprise and astonishment that all these 21 years, the traumatised family has not got any relief, nor any justice nor any succour from the successive Governments of Jammu and Kashmir. Rattan Lal Sharma of the aggrieved family has said that he hardly missed anyone concerned in the Government and administration not visiting with pleas for meeting out justice to them but all in vain. Neither any Government job, nor any compensation nor any legal action against the killer terrorists have taken place and the climax of the tragedy is that criminals including an SPO who led terrorists to their family in a pinpointed way, were allegedly threatening them of ” dire consequences” in case they pursued the case further. We feel that the apathy of the successive Governments including the present one towards this case is totally unwarranted and uncalled for. It would be in fairness of things that the decision of the SHRC was implemented in letter and spirit and justice given to the victimised family, even if belatedly after more than two decades.
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