BHUBANESWAR: The victims of 2016 Gumudumaha firing incident on Saturday accused the State Government of delaying release of their pending compensation money.
The victims alleged that the Government has failed to keep its promise of ensuring better road, uninterrupted electricity, mobile connectivity and health and transport facility to their village made after the firing incident.
Five victims, including those who had sustained bullet injuries and lost their family members in alleged fake encounter at Gumudumaha village in Kandhamal district in July 2016, also knocked the doors of Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) here seeking justice.
However, with the Commission office remaining closed on second Saturday the victims couldn’t file their petition directly and decided to submit the same before the commission via post.
One of the victims Dulara Digal said though government provided Rs 7 lakh to families of deceased and Rs 50,000 to victims who sustained bullet injuries in the firing incident, it is yet to release additional compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of deceased and Rs 50,000 to individuals who sustained bullet injury, as directed by the Commission last year.
Five innocent villagers, including a two-year-old boy, were killed and seven others were injured while they were allegedly caught in crossfire during the anti-Maoist operation.