Agartala, June 13 (IANS) Tripura Power and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath on Friday reiterated the state government’s commitment to supporting families affected by political violence, stating that government jobs are being provided to eligible family members of those killed in such incidents.

Nath said a large number of political killings had taken place in the state before the formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in 2018. Citing available records, he told the media at the Civil Secretariat that between 1993 and 2017, as many as 15,589 murders were reported in Tripura, of which several hundred were linked to political violence.

The minister said that after assuming office, the BJP-led government decided to provide government employment to one eligible family member of each victim of political violence under a dedicated rehabilitation scheme.

“Accordingly, the ‘Scheme for Providing Employment to Members of the Family of Persons Killed in Political Violence’ was notified on December 23, 2020. Initially, the scheme covered families of persons killed in political violence up to March 9, 2018,” Nath said.

He informed that the state Cabinet, under the leadership of Chief Minister Manik Saha, later approved an amendment to the scheme by removing the condition restricting eligibility to cases occurring before March 9, 2018, thereby widening its scope.

Explaining the process for granting employment under the scheme, Nath said a detailed verification mechanism has been put in place to establish whether a death was the result of political violence. Police reports, official records and other relevant inquiries are examined to ascertain the nature of the incident and determine whether an eligible family member is available for appointment.

“To ensure transparency and fairness, a scrutiny committee has been constituted under my chairmanship. The committee includes the Secretary of the Law Department, the Director of the Information and Cultural Affairs Department, an Inspector General of Police and a representative of the Home Department,” he said.

According to the minister, the government has so far received 38 petitions seeking benefits under the scheme. Of these, 18 eligible family members have already been provided government jobs, while 11 additional cases have been recommended for employment. He said five petitions were rejected after inquiries failed to establish that the deaths were linked to political violence, while four other applications are still under examination and pending completion of the verification process.

Nath further stated that in several cases dating back to the Left Front regime, obtaining documentary evidence has been difficult due to the absence of records, including missing police documents and official reports.

“Many incidents that occurred during the earlier period are difficult to verify because supporting documents are not available. In some cases, even police records are missing. However, the government is making every effort to examine each case carefully,” he said.

The minister asserted that the state government does not discriminate on political grounds while considering applications under the scheme.

“We do not view political violence through a partisan lens. Whether the victim belonged to the BJP, CPI(M), Congress, or any other political party, every case is examined with equal importance and sensitivity. Our objective is to extend support to deserving families who have suffered due to political violence,” Nath added.

–IANS

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