Custodial death: Commission asks police to fix responsibility

The National Commission for Scheduled Caste has asked Punjab police to fix responsibility of police officers in the alleged "custodial death" of a fruit orchard contractor in Mehtiana police station.
Talking to reporters after meeting with family members of Gurmail Ram here, Raj Kumar Verka, vice chairman of the Commission said that he has asked officers to suspend SHO Mehtiana police station Karnail Singh and book him under the Prevention of Atrocities on Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes Act.
The Deputy Commissioner, Hoshiarpur has been asked to provide compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of Ram and instructions have been given to submit Ram's post-mortem report within 10 days, he said.

Atrocities against Dalits, specially women, have increased in the country, Verka said adding that as many as 5,600 cases have been reported from Punjab alone in the past two years, with only 7 per cent conviction rate.