Father of lynched victim seeks compensation from Pune Collector

Father of deceased IT professional Mohsin Sheikh has approached the Bombay High Court seeking directions from Pune Collector to release the compensation amount of Rs 10 lakh awarded to him by the state and central government.

A division bench of Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice M S Karnik, on Wednesday, asked the state to respond by Thursday.

Mohammed Sadiq Sheikh, father of the deceased techie who was allegedly killed by members of a radical Hindu outfit, in 2014, at Pune, in his petition filed through Advocate Afreen Khan, states that the family is eligible for getting the compensation under the Central Scheme for victims of Communal Violence, within three weeks; however, even after 4 years, the amount has not been disbursed.

Advocate Manish Pabale appearing for the government informed the court that as per government resolution issued in June 2018, the victim's family should is eligible for ex-gratia, but since the deceased was on leave and license basis in Pune, thus the amount could not be released. He told the court that he would obtain proper instructions from the authority concerned and inform the court on the next hearing.

Sheikh who was returning home after work in 2014, when he was murdered by the accused belonging to the Hindu Rashtra Sena. The accused had taken to the streets after derogatory pictures of Shivaji and Bal Thackeray were uploaded on Facebook triggering communal tension across Pune.

Police have arrested as many as 21 HRS activists, including their leader Dhanajay Jayram Desai alias Bhai, in the murder case. Some of the accused are out on bail. Desai is still lodged in Yerawada Central Prison.