Compensation application of many Delhi riot victims rejected on 'filmsy' grounds: Delhi Waqf Board

Compensation applications of many Northeast Delhi riot victims were rejected on "flimsy grounds" such as for not picking up their phone and neighbours testifying against them, Delhi Waqf Board officials said on Friday.

The panel is going through 748 rejected applications for compensation on the direction of Delhi Assembly's Minority Welfare Committee.

The committee in its meeting on September 2, had directed the Waqf Board chief executive officer for gathering information about the applications which were rejected but no proper reasons were given for it, they said.

A team of Waqf Board officials, including section officer Mehfooz Mohammad and Mohammad Imran, went through 160 rejected applications by seeking documents from the applicants. A report on these applications was submitted to the Assembly's Committee in its meeting on Wednesday, a senior Waqf Board official said.

The report on the remaining rejected applications is being prepared and will be submitted to the committee in its meeting on October 7, he said.

"In case of a dentist in Maujpur, the compensation application was rejected because he got the shutter of his shop repaired to prevent theft of some costly equipment that was not destroyed when his clinic was vandalised during the riots. One application was rejected on the flimsy ground that the applicant did not pick up the phone during verification process," said the Waqf Board official.

In some cases it was found that the applications of victims were rejected because the neighbours testified against claims of losses made by the applicants, he said.

Surveys were conducted by Revenue Department officials in North East Delhi to provide compensation to riots victims. A large number of victims received compensation but there was also a significant number of those whose applications were rejected.

The Minority Welfare Committee had sought to know the reasons for rejection from senior officers of the Delhi government in one of its meeting. But no suitable reply was received after which chairman of the panel directed Waqf Board to go through 748 rejected applications and furnish its report, officials said.