Promises, long wait for kin of policemen killed by Anandpal
Almost three years have passed since head constable Faiz Mohammed was killed by the Anandpal Singh gang in November 2014.
The special compensation package announced by the state government is yet to be approved for his family, though a statue of Mohammed has been installed by the public in Kuchaman City in his memory.
He is not alone. A member of the quick response team (QRT) was also killed by the same gang and a statue of him erected in the district, but his family is waiting for the government to make good on its promise.
The family of Khumaram waits for the home promised to them by the government under the special compensation package.
“My brother was martyred in 2014 after he was shot during an altercation with the Anandpal gang. After his martyrdom, the chief minister had said we will get special compensation package of Rs 20 lakh, which hasn’t been approved till date,” Mohammed’s brother Shahbaz Khan told HT.
In public occasions, state ministers and the police have acknowledged the bravery displayed by both the men. The Nagaur police and the office of the director general of police (DGP) have written letters to the home department, but till date the package couldn’t be approved.
Apart from the dues cleared by the department and pension received by his wife, Mohammed’s family has got Rs 6 lakh along with the money from a day’s salary donated by the Nagaur police.
It’s also a long wait for the family of Khumaram who was shot dead by the members of the Anandpal gang in a shootout where the dreaded gangster was allegedly present last year.
“After the special package was announced, we opted for a house meant for the medium income group (MIG). The government has paid Rs 20 lakh to the state housing board but its cost is around Rs 33 lakh,” said Mohanram Kaswan, the father of Khumaram.
He added that due to nonpayment of the extra money, his family is yet to get the house.
In a letter dated October 2016, the home department had asked the police to send a proposal in case extra budget was required for the house. Several letters have been sent by the office of the Nagaur SP, intimating about the requirement of the extra money but the home department is yet to give its approval.
“Khumaram was our eldest child and his younger brother and sister are studying. It has become difficult for us to run the family as my only income is what I get as a labourer,” Kaswan told HT.
Khumaram’s family comes under the Antodaya category which is financially weaker than the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
Ever since the encounter killing of Anandpal, the state government has hailed its police force for their valour, but the treatment meted out to the families of these two martyrs suggest otherwise.
Home minister Gulab Chand Kataria told HT that his department has sent the proposal of special package for Mohammed’s family to the chief minister’s office for approval.
“The police have already paid the compensation that is given by the department and cleared other dues to both the families. Khumaram’s family has been given Rs 20 lakh as special package and the proposal for Faiz Mohammed has been sent to the chief minister’s office,” said Kataria.
“As far as the extra money required by Khumaram’s family for purchasing the house is concerned, the application is being processed,” said Kataria.
