1992 riots and 1993 blasts: Maharashtra govt asks kin of 105 victims to claim delayed compensation

Mumbai: Over three decades after the 1992 communal riots and 1993 bomb blasts in Mumbai, the Maharashtra government has appealed to legal heirs of 105 people who were either killed or went missing to approach authorities for claiming ex-gratia or delayed compensation within a month.

The state government published a list of 105 deceased persons whose legal relatives remained untraceable despite several efforts by the authorities to find them for granting ex-gratia payments or delayed compensation sums, police said on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court had issued a directive concerning the 1992-93 Mumbai riots and bomb blasts, mandating ex-gratia payments to the legal relatives of the deceased. The court also ordered that interest be paid on sums received late.

In a meeting chaired by the member secretary of the Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority, it was resolved to publish a list of 105 deceased or missing persons.

Authorities are appealing to their legal relatives to approach the offices of the Mumbai District Collector and Suburban Collector with documentation to claim financial assistance from the government.

During the turbulent period of December 1992 and January 1993, Mumbai was engulfed in communal tensions and riots, resulting in approximately 900 deaths and 168 persons missing. On March 12, 1993, a series of 13 blasts rocked various parts of the city, claiming 257 lives.

According to the Supreme Court’s ruling, the state government in 1998 issued a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the families of each of the deceased or missing victims from the riots and blasts incidents.