April 9: Break the law and receive Rs 5 lakh in case you get killed in police firing; or receive Rs 50,000 if you are injured.

By announcing compensation for the two BJP supporters killed in police firing at Bishrampur (Palamau) on Friday, the government has sent out a misleading, if not wrong, signal, believe officials and observers alike.

In sharp contrast, the families of the eight people, who were killed in a police firing at Tapkara, have not only been denied any compensation, but they continue to run from one court to another because they too were implicated in cases for rioting, obstructing public servants, etc, informed their lawyer.

The haste with which the government announced the compensation for the Bishrampur victims of police firing appears related to the fact that they happened to be supporters of the ruling coalition.

At Bishrampur, the mob had taken out a Ram Navami procession in violation of prohibitory orders.

It indulged in brickbatting and threw stones at the police before breaking through a police cordon and entering a disputed area, forcing the police to open fire.

By announcing compensation, the government has also inter alia admitted that the firing was unjustified. ?How can they reach any such conclusion when they expect the inquiry report after a month,? wondered observers.

The ?politically-motivated, ill-timed and shortsighted? decision, they fear, will not only demoralise the police but also encourage the tendency to break the law and defy law-enforcing agencies.

Lamenting the absence of specific or precise guidelines, officials blame political parties for misusing public money to consolidate their vote-bank.

What?s more, if the inquiry clears the police action, will the government then withdraw the compensation and initiate legal action against the law-breakers?

The announcement , they felt, has actually served to dilute the inquiry.

In the Vishrampur incident, many of the miscreants, at the receiving end of the firing, were traders and led by organisations like the Bajrang Dal, Shiva Sena and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

Would the government have announced compensation, officials wondered, if the victims belonged to the ?other party??

Human life is precious. But if it is to be compensated, the government cannot afford to follow double standards.