Two years after two students died of electrocution because of the negligence of school authorities, their near ones got some solace on Tuesday. Bihar Human Rights Commission has ordered Rs 2 lakh compensation to their kin.

Another student of the same school at Bhuli in Saran, who had sustained injuries in the mishap that occurred on May 11, 2010, would get Rs 50,000 as compensation. The commission also awarded compensation of Rs 1 lakh each to the kin of two custodial death victims.

Delivering the judgment, commission chairman Justice S.N. Jha directed the home (special) department to pay the compensation within six weeks of the order and submit a compliance report.

Three students — Raja Yadav, Sukesh Kumar Singh and Toofani Yadav — were electrocuted when they came in contact with a livewire while the tubewell of the middle school was being repaired. While Raja and Sukesh died, Toofani suffered injuries.

Reports of the Saran district magistrate and superintendent of police revealed that the incident occurred because of the negligence of the people engaged in the repair work, particularly Tarkeshwar Baitha, a teacher. Later, a chargesheet was submitted against the teacher under Section 304 of the IPC.

The commission observed that the initiation of proceedings and the possible conviction of the accused might not be enough solace to the victims’ family. It came to the conclusion that compensation of Rs 2 lakh should be paid to the next-of-kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 in case of the injured student.

Custodial deaths

The victims of the two custodial deaths awarded compensation were ailing but the panel felt factors other than natural hastened their end.

The first case was related to one Shrinath Sah, an inmate of Muzaffarpur Central Jail. He died on September 25, 2009. In jail from August 1997, Sah was an asthma patient. He was being treated at the jail hospital and Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, Muzaffarpur. But he died in the jail.

The jail officers reported that Sah fell down from a bed and succumbed to injuries. The post-mortem report said he died because of shock and internal haemorrhage. But a magisterial report said Sah’s death was unnatural.

The commission observed that the nature of the injury suggested that it could not have been caused after a fall from a 2-foot-high bed.

“The explanation offered by the administration not being satisfactory and the relevant facts having been withheld from the commission, it is a fit case for compensation,” observed the commission and awarded Rs 1 lakh compensation Sah’s kin.

The other custodial death victim, Doman Beldar, an inmate of Nalanda district jail, was a tuberculosis and diabetes patient. He died on April 23, 2010, on his way back to the jail after treatment at Patna Medical College and Hospital. The commission observed that proper arrangements were not made to take him back to the jail though he was ailing.