Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) on Tuesday dismissed a review application filed by the Goa Police Department and upheld compensation of Rs 50,000 to a girl hit by a stray bullet during practice firing at Lakherem Firing Range of the Goa Police at Maulinguem, Bicholim.
The Goa Police Department had filed a review application under Section 20, of the Goa Human Rights Commission (Procedure) Regulations 2011, seeking to review the inquiry report dated February 22, 2024, by the Commission.
The Commission had recommended that the Goa Police Department pay compensation of Rs 50,000 to complainant Urmila Gaonkar, within 30 days from February 22, 2024, along with simple interest thereon at 6 per cent per annum from the date of the complaint i.e. June 7, 2022 till final payment.
Urmila Gaonkar of Maulinguem had sustained a bullet injury on the heel of her right leg on January 27, 2021 while she was washing clothes near her home and she was eventually hospitalised at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), Bambolim, where she underwent a surgery and the bullet was removed on February 3, 2021.
Adv K L Bhagat representing the respondents submitted that the Commission had not taken into consideration the crucial points while passing the inquiry report, namely that there was a hillock just behind the target and also a special mud dump and there was a rare chance of any bullet travelling out of the firing range.
He also submitted that the complainant’s house was situated at the distance of three kilometres from the firing range and the bullet could not have travelled to the same spot.
On the other hand, Adv Pooja Kamat, who appeared for the complainant contended that no grounds were made out for review of the inquiry report.
The Commission found that though the police prosecutor contended that there was no negligence on the part of the respondents and the complainant may have come close to the firing range despite the warnings, the fact that the bullet was fired from the Firing Range was not denied by the respondents. The complaint and the subsequent developments indicate that the complainant had sustained an injury near her residence at Maulinguem, when she was washing clothes in her courtyard, it said.
Again, though the police prosecutor submitted that the maximum range of the projectile fired from the gun was 1,350 metres and the residence of the complainant was beyond that distance, the Commission stated that the DGP’s reply admitted that the inquiry conducted by the Police Department revealed that stray bullets had been flying over the hillock and landing in the village which was about two kilometre from the firing spot.
The two-member Commission comprising acting chairperson Desmond D’Costa and member Pramod Kamat did not agree with the respondents counsel that it had not taken into consideration the crucial points such as existence of the hillock and the distance of the house from the firing range.