Cuttack, May 15: The two-year-old controversy over alleged killing of an innocent tribal by armed jawans during a combing operation under Kakirigumma police station limits in Koraput district has got a new lease of life with the high court issuing notices to the state government on it.

The controversy had sparked off with a fact finding committee headed by the Koraput Bar Association president inquiring into the death of the tribal in April 2009 and reporting it as false encounter. The case, however, had since slipped into oblivion.

It reached the high court with the deceased tribal Katru Huika’s widow filing a petition seeking direction for an impartial investigation to find out the truth and adequate compensation for the damage and irreparable loss caused to her.

“Acting on it, the division bench of Chief Justice V. Gopala Gowda and Justice B.N. Mohapatra issued notices to the principal secretary of the state home department, director general of police, collector and district magistrate (Koraput) and the Koraput superintendent of police,” petitioner counsel M.M. Patnaik said today.

“While issuing notices on Friday, the bench issued directions for listing of the case after the vacation,” the petitioner counsel said. This is the second case of police brutality during combing operation alleged by tribal women victims that has come under judicial scrutiny within the past 20 days and notices have been issued to the state government.

Katru Huika’s 26-year-old widow Simkari Huika had alleged that armed jawans had killed her husband in cold blood and thrown the body without informing her and the family members.

According to the petition, on April 13, 2009, when Huika was returning home after attending nature’s call at Lachhamani village, armed jawans suddenly opened fire killing him on the spot. Thereafter, the body was taken away by the jawans and not handed over to her. She is not aware whether the body of her husband was cremated or thrown in the jungle. Moreover, she does not know whether or not post-mortem of the body was conducted, the petitioner said.

“The authorities did not inquire into the death in violation of guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission,” the petition contended adding, “a four-member Fact Finding Committee headed by Koraput Bar Association president Nihar Ranjan Patnaik had recommended judicial inquiry into the death. However, the authorities had taken no action on it”.

On April 27, the high court issued notices on a petition filed by 21-year-old tribal woman, who had alleged that she was gangraped in police custody and later dumped in a jail.