A Letter Petition In Allahabad High Court Seeks Probe In To The Incident Where A Journalist & His Friend Burnt Alive In UP's Balrampur

It is alleged that the 37-yr-old journalist Rakesh Singh and his 35-yr-old friend Pintu Sahu were burnt alive in a house, leading to on-spot demise of the latter whereas the former succumbed to his burn injuries during treatment in a hospital.

The letter petitioners have sought a probe in the matter by a Special Investigation Agency. They apprehend that crimes of such nature are on a rise and it is a liability of the State to ensure its citizen's security of life and liberty.

"That the right to life and liberty is a fundamental right provided under Article 21 of Indian Constitution which need to be protected from the loss incurred in burn cases where a bread earner of the family loss his life due to burning and the dependents were lost the hope of living due to various problems like financial, party's spousal relationship and a very real detriment," the letter states.

The Petitioners have sought immediate compensation for the deceased' family from the Victim Compensation Fund and have prayed that the families may be given any suitable employment to their academic ability, to ensure that they have a means of livelihood.

"The loss of consortium is a novel concept, the spouses of a burn survivor may be entitled to compensation when an injury is so serious or a person lost his life due to severe burn injuries, then the victim families may be expeditiously grant the support by the state to ensure their livelihood and security," the letter states.

The representation has been made by Advocates Gaurav Dwivedi, Satyendra Narayan Singh, Rajnish Dubey, Gopi Sood, Mahima Joseph and Dhiraj Tiwari. They submitted that cases of homicide by inflicting burn injuries are on a rise— recently a temple priest from Rajasthan's Karauli was set ablaze, allegedly by five people who wanted to encroach on temple land.

[Karauli Priest Burnt Alive] Rajasthan HC Issues Notice On Letter Petition Seeking Judicial Probe

The Petitioners further claimed that on November 28, one Harish Chandra Sharma was burnt alive by some persons in Soraon, Prayagraj.

They submitted that such heinous crimes affect the collective conscience of the public and it need to be investigated in the proper manner to enable the victim's families to get justice.

The incident took place at the residence of Singh at Kalvari village. Allegedly, the Police had recorded his Dying Declaration Statement on the basis of which, former village head Ram Surat along with two persons Ravi Chaudhary and Babu Mishra have been detained.

Click Here To Download Letter

Read Letter