A tragic incident of alleged caste-based discrimination has led to the suicide of a 12-year-old Dalit boy in the Rohru subdivision of Shimla district. The boy, whose name has not been released, reportedly took his own life after being locked in a cowshed and humiliated by an upper-caste neighbor who accused him of “defiling her house.”
The ordeal began when the boy was allegedly caught inside the accused woman’s home. According to his uncle, Suresh Banta, the woman held him hostage and subjected him to humiliation. Banta alleged that the boy told his mother after consuming poison that he was kept locked up while the woman demanded a goat from his parents to “consecrate her defiled house.” The boy was under “a lot of stress” following the incident.
After managing to escape, the victim consumed poison and was rushed to the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, where he died the following day.
DSP Pranav Chauhan of Rohru confirmed that an investigation has been initiated, noting that the case currently lacks eyewitnesses.
The incident has drawn strong condemnation from Dalit groups and activists, who termed it “extremely unfortunate.” Sanjay Chauhan, State Secretary of the CPM, expressed shock, stating, “What’s more shameful than a 12-year-old boy dying due to casteist discrimination? This incident demands strict action so that this doesn’t repeat in the future.”
The tragedy has also created an outcry on social media, with users highlighting the deeply entrenched issue of caste-based impurity, pointing out the irony that animals like dogs are often permitted in upper-caste homes, yet the entry of a Scheduled Caste individual is deemed to make the space “impure.” Concerns over the increasing frequency of attacks on Dalits were also widely voiced.
