Monday, October 17 2005 14:36 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: A delegation of victims of the alleged excesses by the Special Task Force (STF), set up to track down late sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here today (Oct 17, 2005) and sought action against those guilty and a special rehabilitation package for themselves.

The delegation, led by Communist Party of India (CPI) leaders D Raja and Annie Raja, narrated their tales of woe to the Prime Minister and urged him to request the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to expeditiously pursue the complaints filed by the victims, mostly women.

In a memorandum, the victims also urged the Centre to direct the governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to release their 'promised' interim compensation of Rs five crore each for commencing the rehabilitation of the victims.

The Centre, they said, should also direct these governments to undertake measures for immediate removal of former STF personnel who were now functioning as regular police officers in the areas earlier under the STF due to 'frequent complaints of threat and coercion by them'.

Raja told reporters after the meeting that the Prime Minister on hearing the victims expressed sympathy with them and said he shared their feelings. Singh was also quoted as saying such human right violations should not take place. The CPI leader said the victims had already moved the NHRC and met Home Minister Shivraj Patil in this regard, with the latter suggesting that the Centre could consider setting up a fund to rehabilitate such victims of excesses.