NHRC Orders Assam To Pay Rs 1 Lakh To Muslim Man Beaten For Selling Beef

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will pay ₹1 lakh to a man who was thrashed by a mob for selling cooked beef at his tea stall in the Biswanath district in Assam.

The commission took serious note of the fact that neither the Director-General of Police submitted the action taken report against the guilty police officials in the case nor the Chief Secretary replied to a show-cause notice.

On April 7 last year, 48-year-old Shaukat Ali was beaten up by a mob and forced to eat cooked pork in front of some policemen for selling beef at his tea stall at the Madhupur weekly market in Biswanath Chariali. The mob also beat up a contractor of the market for allowing Ali to run the shop, News18 reported.

As per an NHRC letter, considering the matter on September 9 over Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia's complaint had warned the DGP of initiating action against him if the report is not sent within four weeks, as per an NHRC letter to the police chief. "The Commission has not received a reply or any response to show cause notice from the concerned authority which led Commission to observe that the concerned authority has nothing to urge upon the Commission with regard to the show cause notice," the letter to the police chief read.

"Therefore, the Commission confirms its recommendation and directs to the Chief Secretary, Government of Assam to release amounting to Rs 1,00,000 to the victim Shaukat Ali and submit a report along with proof of payment to the Commission within six weeks," a letter to the chief secretary from NHRC assistant registrar (law) said. In the show-cause notice sent earlier, the NHRC noted that "prima facie it is a case of violation of human rights of the victim for which the state is vicariously liable to compensate the victim," the letter further read.

The commission referred to a report which stated that "public servant was collecting revenue" from the market involving some local unemployed youths which is against the law.

Citing the show-cause notice, the letter read: "The victim was found insulted and disgraced on basis of caste/religion, therefore, human rights of the victim were violated by collecting revenue by a public servant i.e. profession tax collector illegally. Police have apprehended 15 persons and forwarded them to judicial custody."

The incident came to the fore after a video made by one of the perpetrators went viral on social media.

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