BHUBANESWAR: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has decided to award ` 3 lakh compensation to a physically challenged girl who was allegedly raped by a staffer of the VSS Medical College and Hospital, Burla, inside the hospital more than two years ago.The rights panel recommended the relief after the State Government failed to reply to the former’s notice.The Chief Secretary has been asked to send compliance of the order in six weeks. The national commission took a strong view of the incident and said, since the incident happened on the premises of the hospital and the accused was a government employee, the State should also be held liable.Earlier on October 14, the NHRC issued a reminder to the Chief Secretary to send his reply to the showcause notice within six weeks stating that if the latter did not reply, the Commission will assume that the State has no views on the matter and make recommendations for relief on the basis of the material available on record. The Commission received no reply to its notice though.In its December 20 order, the Commission said, the victim being a member of Schedule Caste and physically challenged - deaf and dumb - the rape by a public servant on duty and on the premises of the hospital amounts to violation of her human rights and the State should be held “vicariously liable for the same.”The Commission recommended to the Government to pay ` 3 lakh as relief to the victim. On August 22, 2009, police had arrested Jayasingh Behera, a Group D staffer at the medical college and hospital, for allegedly raping the physically challenged 17-year-old.The victim had come to the Medical for the treatment of her mother. The girl, who belonged to a village on the outskirts of Bargarh town, was looking after her ailing mother all by herself. According to case records, when she was going to meet the doctor, Behera offered to escort her but instead, took her to a toilet where he allegedly raped her.The accused is even alleged to have threatened to kill the girl’s mother if the victim disclosed about the incident to anyone. The girl, however, informed about the incident to her mother before lodging a complaint with the Burla Police. Rights activist and advocate Prabir Das had filed the petition before the NHRC praying for compensation to the victim.
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