The NHRC has directed the Home Ministry to pay Rs 10,000 each to six persons who were allegedly thrashed by some unidentified CRPF personnel nine years ago.
The National Human Rights Commission had issued a similar order last year. While giving a clean chit to its the CRPF men, the Centre sought reconsideration of the decision providing monetary relief to the complainants.
Rejecting the Home Ministry's plea, the panel stuck to its previous decision and cited various reports including that of Superintendent of Police, Imphal.
The report had said, "The complainants were rounded up by CRPF personnel during the course of search and injuries received by them were simple in nature."
The rights panel also took note of the injuries of the complainants, saying that such injuries could only have been inflicted either by CRPF men or by the local police.
"If the injuries had been caused by the local police, the complainants would not have spared it," the Commission noted recently.
On the government's claim that the identity of the assailants were not established, the rights panel in its recent order said "while considering the question of compensation, the identity aspect is totally irrelevant".
The case pertains to 1999 when some CRPF men in the aftermath of a bomb explosion in Thinguchingjin in Imphal brutally beat six persons working near the place of a blast site, suspecting them to be involved in the incident.
The six -Soibam Nobin Singh, T Indrakumar Singh, Khaidem Angou Singh, Nogthombam Madhumangal, Khaidem Pishak Macha Singh, Khaidem Inaobi Singh - lodged criminal case against the security personnel besides approaching the NHRC for justice.