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By Subash Mohapatra

BHUBANESWAR: A nine-year-old tribal girl has been waiting compensation under Odisha Victim Compensation Scheme for last three years.

Due to lack of fund, the victim has not been paid and thanks to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik led home department, whose police personnel committed rape on her when she was six, has no information when she will be paid.

A letter from Sundargarh District Child Protection Officer written to Additional Director General of Police on 31 August this year revealed that due to lack of fund the compensation has not been paid. It is not the isolated case.

“The DCPU found that 16 numbers of Victim Compensation Cases are pending still, out of it there are 7 victim compensation registered under below 18 years victims cases”, letter reads.

Sanjay Kumar Majhi, a police Constable with Odisha Auxiliary Police Force had committed rape on her in 2014.

The DGP has assured the National Human Rights Commission in August 2014 that the action has been initiated with the competent authority to make the compensation to the victim as per the provisions of the POSCO Act and rules thereunder, within the stipulated time.

A cases was registered in Raghunathpali Police Station in Odisha’s Sundargarh district against the police constable Sanjay under section 450/376(2)(c)(i) IPC and sections 8/10 POCSO Act.

Earlier, highest human rights panel NHRC has directed Odisha’s Addl. D.G. of Police to ensure that necessary compensation as admissible under the POSCO Act and rules there under may be made to the victim girl at the earliest possible.

The State Government has launched Odisha Victim Compensation Scheme in 2012, to provide monetary compensation to women including rape victims, victims of acid attack and human trafficking.

The State Government has made provision of a compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh to a rape victim while states like Goa have made provision of Rs. 10 lakh.

It was incumbent on all the States to frame such a scheme after insertion of a new provision under Section 357-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act, 2008. The section deals with compensation schemes for victims of crime and their dependents.

In case of rape, the concerned authority will call for report of sub-divisional medical officer (SDMO) or chief district medical officer (CDMO) and report of the investigating police officer including the FIR to assess the prima facie of the incident. If the authority finds the report unacceptable, he or she should give the reasons in writing.

Denial and deprivation by Naveen Patnaik led Odisha government is not new or isolation one. Recently Dana Majhi’s deprivation has brought international headlines. Dana, a tribal man in Odisha walked nearly 10 kilometres with his daughter, carrying his wife’s body on his shoulder after he was denied a mortuary van from a government hospital.