OUR CORRESPONDENT
TINSUKIA: The families of five martyrs (Panch Sahid) of the infamous Dangori encounter of 1994 received an ex-gratia cheque of Rs 5 lakh each after 29 years from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund at a programme held at DC’s conference hall on Tuesday in presence of DC Tinsukia Swapneel Paul and Sadiya MLA Bolin Chetia even as the matter related to compensation of Rs 20 lakh by the Central Government remains to be resolved.
Five innocent youths-Prabin Sonowal, Pradip Dutta, Debojit Biswas, Akhil Sonowal and Bhaben Moran were brutally tortured before being shot at Dibru-Saikhowa National Park by the 18 Punjab Regiment at Dholla camp in the Tinsukia district in February 1994 following killing of Rameswar Singh, GM Assam Frontier Ltd. at Talap TE factory by suspected ULFA militants. In that connection, a Summary General Court Martial was held at Dinjan camp against the guilty 7 Army personnel, including a Major General, in October 2018 who were later dismissed from service and imprisoned for life.
Though former AGP minister Jagadish Bhuyan initiated the case in Gauhati High Court in 1994, in the legal tussle, the Court in 2001 directed the government to pay Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the slain persons, which was honoured after 23 years and partial justice to the families was bestowed after 29 years of the incident.
According to family members of the martyrs, the district administration did not issue any formal letter for the programme and family member of martyr Pradeep Dutta remained conspicuously absent.
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