‘They Put a Scorpion in His Pants’: 8-Year-Old Dalit Boy in Shimla District Subjected to Abuse by Teachers
An eight-year-old Dalit boy in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla district was allegedly subjected to repeated caste-based harassment and physical assault by his school’s headmaster and two teachers, including an incident where they reportedly placed a scorpion inside his pants, police said on Sunday. The accused, headmaster Devendra and teachers Babu Ram and Kritika Thakur, have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Juvenile Justice Act, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. According to the complaint filed by the child’s father, the abuse had been ongoing for nearly a year at the Government Primary School in Khaddapani, under Rohru subdivision. He alleged that his son was regularly beaten, once so severely that his ear bled and his eardrum was damaged. In one horrifying instance, the teachers allegedly took the child to a toilet and placed a scorpion inside his pants. The father also accused the headmaster of threatening to expel his son and warning the family against approaching the police. “They told us not to file a complaint or post about the incident on social media, or we would lose our lives,” he said. The father further claimed that the school practised caste-based segregation, forcing Nepali and Dalit (Harijan) students to sit separately from Rajput students during meals. Local reports suggest this is not an isolated case in Rohru. Just last week, a teacher in Gawana area was suspended for beating a student with a prickly bush. Earlier this month, a 12-year-old Dalit boy in Limda village reportedly died by suicide after being locked inside a cowshed by upper-caste women for entering their house. Police have begun investigating the case. Officials said statements from the child and witnesses are being recorded, and medical examination reports are awaited. Courtesy : TOP Note: This news is originally published on https:/theobserverpost.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Woman held over Dalit boy’s death
The case triggered outrage across the state. Many condemned the caste-based discrimination, while some claimed the boy had a habit of stealing. The woman said she had caught him stealing from her shop, but the boy’s family denied the allegation. After her surrender plea was rejected, police arrested a woman late on Wednesday night for allegedly beating and abetting the suicide of a 12-year-old Dalit boy in Limbra village, Chirgaon. She was produced in court on Thursday and sent to three-day police custody. Rohru DSP Pranav Chauhan said a case had been registered under Sections 107 (abetment of suicide of a child), 127 (wrongful confinement), and 115 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. He said further investigation was underway. On September 16, a Dalit boy allegedly consumed poison after being beaten and locked in a cowshed by the accused woman for touching her house. He was taken to IGMC, where he died the next day. Following his death, the boy’s parents approached the police, demanding her arrest. The woman later sought anticipatory bail, which the court rejected. The case triggered outrage across the state. Many condemned the caste-based discrimination, while some claimed the boy had a habit of stealing. The woman said she had caught him stealing from her shop, but the boy’s family denied the allegation. The Scheduled Caste Commission expressed dissatisfaction with the police probe and ordered the suspension of ASI Manjeet, the Investigating Officer in tge case. The Commission also sought an explanation from the DSP. Commission chairman Kuldeep Kumar Dhiman accused the police of not taking the case seriously. He said the FIR was filed on September 20, but the SC/ST Act sections were not added initially, which was a serious lapse on the part of the police and caused unnecessary delay in justice. He added that the victim’s family had clearly mentioned in their complaint that the accused called their child “untouchable” and demanded a goat to “purify” her house. “Despite this, a case under SC/ST Act was not registered by the police at that time and were only applied later,” Dhiman said. He further said the Commission had asked the Rohru DSP to submit a report within three days, but it was delayed and reached only on October 14. Courtesy : NAI Note: This news is originally published on https:/newsarenaindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
ASI suspended over Dalit boy’s death probe
He held a meeting with local administration and police officials in Rohru regarding the case. The accused woman is likely to be arrested soon after her anticipatory bail plea was rejected on Tuesday. The Himachal Pradesh Scheduled Caste Commission has ordered the suspension of ASI Manjeet Singh for conducting a poor investigation into the death of a 12-year-old Dalit boy in the Rohru sub-division, Shimla district. Manjeet was the investigating officer in the case. The panel also found the work of DSP Rohru unsatisfactory and has sought an explanation from him. “The police investigation into the case has not been found satisfactory. The investigation has been hampered by the police’s laxity in the initial investigation,” said Kuldeep Kumar Dhiman, chairman of the panel. He held a meeting with local administration and police officials in Rohru regarding the case. The accused woman is likely to be arrested soon after her anticipatory bail plea was rejected on Tuesday. Unhappy with the investigation, Dhiman stated several lapses in the police work. “When the FIR was initially filed on September 20, the case was not registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. It was only when the matter reached the High Court, the case was registered under the provisions of the Act. Despite this, the police failed to arrest the accused woman,” Dhiman said. He added that the commission had directed DSP Rohru to submit a report within three days on October 1, but the officer failed to do so in time. “The commission received the report from the DGP’s office on October 14. The local police have been lax in complying with the commission’s orders,” Dhiman said. He added that the victim’s family has been provided financial aid of Rs 4,12,500 from the government through the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. Courtesy : NAI Note: This news is originally published on https:/newsarenaindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Dalit boy’s suicide: HC rejects pre-arrest bail to Rohru woman; says prima facie reading of case shows she gave beatings to deceased
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh high court on Tuesday dismissed the pre-arrest bail petition of the woman who is accused of abetting the suicide of 12-year-old Dalit boy of her village by allegedly confining him wrongfully and assaulting him. The upper-caste woman, Pushpa Devi (50), is from Limbra village in the Rohru sub-division of Shimla district. She is facing charges under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and for wrongful confinement, assault, and abetment to suicide. Dismissing the petition as not maintainable, the bench headed by Justice Rakesh Kainthla held, “A prima facie reading of the status report and FIR shows that the accused gave beatings to the deceased (a member of the scheduled caste) and confined him to the cowshed because the deceased happened to touch the house of the accused, and she wanted a sacrificial goat for purification.” The deceased boy belonged to the Koli community. The court underlined that this offence was committed by the accused because of the caste of the deceased and would not have been committed if the deceased had not been a member of the scheduled caste. Justice Kainthla held that it was not possible to conclude, at this stage, that the petitioner had not, prima facie, committed an offence punishable under Section 3(2)(va) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act. The court also upheld the objection taken by additional advocate general Jitender Sharma that the pre-arrest bail petition is not maintainable in view of the bar contained in Section 18 of the SC and ST Act. The case has sparked outrage, highlighting ongoing caste-based discrimination and abuse especially in rural areas of Himachal Pradesh. The police complaint filed by the deceased boy’s father states that the boy died by suicide on September 17, allegedly after consuming poison. He was reportedly harassed and locked in a cowshed by Pushpa Devi the previous evening, Sept 16. The high court had earlier, on Sept 25, ordered the release of the petitioner on interim bail until further orders, considering that she is a woman and is entitled to special consideration. Until then, Police Station Chirgaon had not added Sections 3(2)(v) and 3(2)(va) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the FIR registered on Sept 20. These sections were added later based on the investigation. The bench also noted that the accused also gave an interview to a local news media channel on Oct 1, in which she admitted that she confined the deceased boy inside her cowshed and stated that she would have not released him until the goat was given to her. “Chain Ram, Kardar made a statement about the caste prejudices prevalent against members of the scheduled caste, like ‘Koli’, who are treated as untouchable and not allowed to enter the house,” observed the court. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
After suicide by dalit boy, HP bodies call for mapping of ‘atrocity-prone areas’
Kullu: A number of civil society organisations have come forward calling for the declaration of “atrocity-prone areas” in Himachal Pradesh and have demanded strict police action in the case of suicide by a 12-year-old dalit boy after he was locked up in a cowshed by an ‘upper caste’ family in Shimla’s Rohru region. The People’s Campaign for Socio-Economic Equality in the Himalayas (PCSEEH), an organisation that works for an equal and discrimination-free society in the mountains, has written to chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, demanding strict action under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (prevention of atrocities) Act against all those responsible for pushing the “dalit boy to commit suicide” and adequate compensation to the victim’s family. The PCSEEH has also demanded the state govt should identify all the regions of the state where caste-based atrocities are higher and declare them as “atrocity-prone areas” under Rule 3 of the SCST (prevention of atrocities) Rules, 1995. In the letter, PCSEEH national convener Sukhdev Vishvapremi has also stated that the state govt needs to initiate a campaign to create “socially just and safe panchayats” in Himachal Pradesh. A Scheduled Caste boy died after consuming a poisonous substance in Limbda village of Rohru sub-division in Shimla district on Sept 16. According to the police complaint, filed by the father of the victim, the boy committed suicide after he inadvertently entered the house of an ‘upper-caste family’ and a woman of the house locked him up in a cowshed and assaulted and humiliated him. A case has been registered by the Chirgaon police. “It’s not a suicide but a murder. This case is yet another reminder of the fact that how deeply entrenched the caste-based discrimination in Himachal is and how crimes stemming from caste-based mindsets continue to occur frequently in the state. It’s so tragic that such acts still take place even in the 21st century,” PCSEEH national convener Sukhdev Vishvapremi told TOI on Sunday. “We sincerely hope that strict action will be taken against those responsible for the deliberate killing of the boy. There is also an urgent need for the state govt to launch a campaign in coordination with the civil society organisations to make Himachal Pradesh a socially just and safe state,” added Vishvapremi. According to Kuldeep Verma, who runs People’s Action for People in Need (PAPN), an NGO that works against caste-based discrimination in the Sirmaur district of the state, atrocities against dalits are on the rise in Himachal Pradesh due to ineffective implementation of the law. “There are various rules against caste-based discriminations and atrocities but the law is not strictly and effectively implemented by the police, which in most cases tend to side with the accused. And when there is no fear of the law, atrocities in the name of the caste are bound to be committed,” said Verma. “The state govt is empowered by the SC/ST Act to identify and declare regions having a high rate of crimes against the Scheduled Castes as ‘atrocity-prone areas.’ The state govt must take an initiative and declare the Chirgaon area in Rohru as an atrocity-prone area. Such a move will send a strong message against caste atrocities,” added Verma. Led by former MLA Rakesh Singha, members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) also staged a state-wide protest against dalit discrimination and atrocities in the state last Monday on Oct 6 in the wake of the Rohru incident. Two days later, on Oct 8, a large number of people from the general caste communities took out a march in Rohru and demanded an impartial investigation into the boy’s suicide. The angry crowd also raised slogans against Singha for his comments on the issue. “The protest by the CPM was on humanitarian and constitutional grounds. But the counter-protest by members of the general caste communities shows how polarised the society even in Himachal has become. This divide has further deepened in the last around ten years and is benefitting the politicians only,” said Lal Chand Dhissa, a Kullu-based veteran activist and former IAS officer. “The rot in our society runs deeper than you realise,” added Dhissa. Himachal Pradesh has the second highest population of Dalits in the country after Punjab and the caste-based untouchability and discrimination is widely rampant in the state. Among the 12 districts, Sirmaur has the highest percentage of dalits in the state, followed by Mandi, Solan, Kullu, and Shimla. Box: SCs / STs / OBCs in Himachal Pradesh Category Population Percentage (%) SCs 1,729,252 25.19 STs 392,126 5.7 OBCs 927,452 13.51 Total Population 6,864,602 Source: Census 2011 Box: District Total Population SC Population Percentage (%) Sirmaur 529,855 160,745 30.34 Mandi 999,777 293,739 29.38 Solan 580,320 164,536 28.35 Kullu 437,903 122,659 28.01 Shimla 814,010 215,777 26.51 Source: Census 2011 Box: Top Indian States with Highest SC Population State Population SC Population Percentage (%) Punjab 27,743,338 8,860,179 31.94 Himachal Pradesh 6,864,602 1,729,252 25.19 West Bengal 91,276,115 21,463,270 23.51 Uttar Pradesh 199,812,341 41,357,608 20.70 Haryana 25,351,462 5,113,615 20.17 Source: Census 2011 MSID:: 124500182 413 | Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Locked Up By ‘Upper Caste’ Women For Entering Home, Dalit Boy Dies By Suicide
The complainant alleged that his wife told him their son was harassed and locked inside a cowshed by three ‘upper caste’ women after he entered their house while playing. Shimla: A 12-year-old Dalit boy allegedly died by suicide by consuming poison after he was reportedly locked inside a cowshed by some so-called ‘upper caste’ women for entering their house at a village in Shimla district, officials said on Wednesday. According to the complaint filed by the father of the boy, he found his son lying unconscious on the bed on the evening of September 16. He took his son to a community health centre in Rohru before being referred to the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla where he died during treatment, the complainant said, adding that the doctors said his son consumed a poisonous substance. The complainant alleged that his wife told him their son was harassed and locked inside a cowshed by three ‘upper caste’ women after he entered their house while playing. The women reportedly claimed that their son “defiled” their house and demanded a goat as a punishment, he alleged. Traumatised by the harassment, the boy consumed some poisonous substance, which led to his death, the complainant said. Police have registered a case against the accused women, who have been granted anticipatory bail by a local court, officials said. The incident outraged the local people, including the Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch (DSMM), which strongly condemned the incident and demanded police to immediately arrest the accused under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The DSMM also warned to launch a mass movement by mobilising people if no action is taken against the accused. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Courtesy : NDTV Note: This news is originally published on https:/ndtv.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
A 12-year-old Dalit boy was locked in a cowshed, then news of his death surfaced… Major questions raised about the silence of political parties!
The Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch raised serious questions about the silence of the government and political parties, warning of a major movement if the culprits are not immediately arrested. Shimla: The tragic incident of caste-based harassment of a 12-year-old Dalit boy in Limbara village, Rohru, has spread like wildfire throughout the region. The boy was allegedly locked in a cowshed, after which he took his own life by consuming poison. The Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch has expressed strong objection to this serious incident and demanded immediate and strict action against the culprits. The Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch strongly condemned the incident and said that the accused should be immediately arrested and the strictest possible action should be taken against them under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (SC/ST Act). The Manch also expressed concern about the safety of the victim’s family. They demanded that the victim’s family be given adequate compensation and full protection, so that they are not pressured to withdraw the case or tamper with evidence. Questioning the government’s attitude, the forum stated that the government’s lack of will to effectively implement the SC/ST Act is contributing to the rise in incidents of caste-based atrocities in the state. The forum also expressed deep disappointment over the silence of major political parties like the Congress and BJP on this issue. The forum believes that these parties prioritize vote bank politics over social justice. Suggesting a concrete solution to prevent caste-based atrocities, the forum said that just as awareness campaigns are run against smoking, a comprehensive campaign needs to be launched about the provisions of the SC/ST Act. Jagat Ram, state convener of the Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch, said, “It is the need of the hour to protect the rights of Dalits and stop their exploitation. We want to ensure that those who commit caste-based atrocities are brought to justice.” He also announced that the Manch would launch a massive mass movement against the increasing caste-based incidents and to uphold the Constitution. Rajan Chaudhary Courtesy: Hindi News