The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the Manipur government to pay Rs.5 lakh as compensation to the family of a man killed in a police shootout in 2009, an official statement said on Friday.
Sorokhiabam Jibon Singh, was shot dead in Imphal in July, 2009. The Manipur Police claimed that Singh was a member of banned Kangleipak Communist Party-Military Council (KCP-MC) group .
"On consideration of material on record received from the state government in response to its notices since 2010, the commission observed that it is clear that family members of the deceased were not associated with the enquiry. Thus, the enquiry report did not inspire confidence, the NHRC said in the statement.
"Even assuming that there was an encounter as claimed by police, there could be no justification for such an excessive use of force. Police exceeded the right of defence," it said.
The injuries sustained by the deceased were not only fatal but also large in number, indicating that police used excessive force during encounter, the NHRC said.