The National Human Rights Commission has directed Delhi’s police commissioner to pay Rs 3 lakh as compensation to the next of kin of a man who suffered injuries and died after being chased by some cops early this year.

The police had also failed to shift Dharmender Rajput to hospital.

The NHRC directed the commissioner to send within four weeks details of departmental action taken against the police officials concerned.

The recent directives came on a petition filed by rights activist and Supreme Court lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy, who alleged that the victim had succumbed to injuries after hitting a police barricade “negligently” set up on a flyover in the capital’s Geeta Colony in January.

Earlier, in April, the additional commissioner of police, vigilance, had informed the NHRC that on the intervening night of January 19 and 20, Dharmender, driver of a tempo, had been signalled to stop at a police picket but accelerated and hit the barricade.

The cops gave chase and Dharmender, who was reportedly drunk, hit the flyover wall and suffered serious injuries. The cops then called up his family and asked them to shift Dharmender to a hospital where he died.

Tripathy, in his complaint to the NHRC, had said Dharmender died because of the negligence of the police who were duty-bound to shift the injured man to a hospital.

He sought an independent probe against the police officials concerned and compensation for the victim’s family.

Delhi police had informed the commission that head constable Naval Kishore and constable Prabhu Yadav, allegedly responsible for the incident, had been suspended and a departmental probe initiated against them.

The commission found it apparent from the report that the police officials concerned had not taken steps that could have saved the victim’s life.

The panel directed that Rs 3 lakh be paid to the victim’s family as compensation and sought a report on the final action taken against the officials concerned.