New Delhi, March 22 (IANS) The National Human Rights Commission Monday asked the Delhi government to pay up Rs.500,000 each to the families of the two men killed by the city police in an allegedly fake gun battle.

The human rights panel rejected Delhi Police's contention that the case was subjudice and hence no monetary compensation should be paid. The commission said the Delhi government should pay Rs.500,000 to the families of Mandeep Singh and Vivek who were killed in the October 2002 fake gun battle on the city's outskirts, an official statement said.

The commission, in its March 12 order, observed: 'We find no merit in the plea. Proceedings of the commission are independent of any other proceedings which may be pending at any other forum. The recommendation for monetary relief need not wait till the conclusion of criminal trial.'

The NHRC also asked for a compliance report with proof of payment within eight weeks.

The staged gunfight allegedly took place in October 16, 2002, in Haryana's Jharodakalan village on Delhi's outskirts. The NHRC took up the case in December 2002 based on a complaint by Mandeep's father Dayanand Singh. He alleged that eight police officials in plain clothes had arrested his son Mandeep, Vivek and two others and forcibly taken them away.

He claimed that Mandeep and Vivek were murdered by the police team.

Police, meanwhile, claimed that the two men were criminals and were killed in cross-fire, which started when they refused to surrender and fired at the police team.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which also investigated the case on the Delhi High Court directive, told the NHRC that police's claim was false and the two were indeed killed in a fake gun battle.

'On the basis of this report, the commission observed that prima facie it was a case of violation of victims' human rights and issued show cause notice to the Delhi government as to why monetary relief should not be given to the victim's kin. Not convinced by the reply, the commission recommended payment of monetary relief,' the NHRC statement said.