NHRC recommends Rs.15 lakh relief to families of five dead miners in Rajasthan

The National Human Rights Commission has recommended that the Government of Rajasthan pay Rs.3 lakh each to the next of kin of five labourers who were buried alive under the debris of an illegal mine in the Village Chooharpur, District Alwar, Rajasthan in the year 2012.

The commission has asked the state government, through its chief secretary, to submit the compliance report along with the proof of payment within eight weeks.

While recommending so, the Commission did not agree with the view of the Government of Rajasthan that these persons died during illegal mining therefore, no ex-gratioa/monetary assistance was considered to be given to them.

Moreover, it said that the incident did not fall under the category of natural calamity. It also said that the matter was now in a court as after completion of investigation, chargesheet had been filed against the two persons under Section 379/304 IPC and 41/42 Forest Act even as efforts were being made to arrest the remaining accused in the matter.

The Commission has observed that it was the duty of the State Government to take steps to prevent illegal mining in the forest area. It is assumed that it was not without the connivance and negligence of some State Government officials if the illegal mining was happening on a large scale. It said that as the illegal mining was going on in the forest area of the State and the persons who died were the workers of the said mine, it was the duty of the State to pay relief to the next of kin of them.

The Commission had taken cognizance of the incident on the basis of a newspaper report on the 18th May, 2012 received along with a complaint from a human rights activist alleging that ten labourers were buried in the illegal mine. Reportedly, three bodies were taken out while the remaining were still under the debris. During the course of enquiry, it was found that bodies of five labourers were recovered, who were buried alive under the debris of illegal mine.