related to the payment of compensation to a victim of police atrocities. The Commission has sought the intenrention of the appropriate Court to have its recornrnendations implemented by the State Government. In respect of cases brought to the attention of the Commission, criminal prosecutions have been launched against 167 persons (144 policemen and 23 civilians). Compensation ranging from Rs. 50,0001- to Rs. 1.50 lakhs were recommended for payment in 55 cases. 9.7 (B) INVESTIGATION OF CASES There has been an increasing emphasis, during the year under repoe, on 9.8 the investigation of cases by the Commission's Investigation Division. As against 876 cases investigated or monitored by that Division during the year 1995-96, 1047 complaints were taken up for investigation or monitoring during the year 1996-97. Of these, 296 were investigated by the Commission's own staff and the remaining 751, which were sent to other agencies such as the State Police, were closely monitored. Out of these cases, 256 were closed after processing. In certain instances the investigating officers of the Commission worked in concert with representatives of Non-Governmental Organisations. Such an association with the NGOs in the investigation of cases was not limited to obtaining detailed information on cases, but, on occasions, also the interviewing of victims, particularly in-cases of violence against women. The approach of the Commission in investigating cases of human rights violations has been victim-oriented, Cases taken up for investigation by the Commission were of varying nature; ranging from custodial death, illegal detention, implication in false cases, false encounters and complaints of prisoners and undertrials in jails. Though the work of the Investigation Division was spread out over the entire country, it was concentrated more on Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. 9.9 9.10 In many cases which were entrusted by the Commission to the State agencies for investigation, the Commission was not satisfied with the quality of work and directed the State CID to take over investigation and send reports to the Commission. In Uttar Pradesh alone, in as many as 26 cases, the Commission entrusted the ~nvestigation to the State CID, as it felt that in such cases the investigation of the District police was slipshod and cursory.