Dalit boy’s death case: Scheduled Caste panel seeks police report within three days

The HP Scheduled Caste Commission has taken cognizance of the death of a 12-year-old Dalit boy at Limbda village in Rohru subdivision of Shimla district and directed the police to submit a detailed report regarding the case within three days. The commission took the decision at a meeting held here today in the presence of the representatives of various Scheduled Caste organisations.

Commission Chairman Kuldeep Dhiman said that the police should have registered the case under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act when the complaint was made. “The failure to register a case under the Act resulted in the High Court of Himachal Pradesh granting bail to the accused, which is very serious and concerning,” he added.

Dhiman said that strict action would be taken against the culprits and compensation would be provided to the victim’s family in accordance with legal provisions. He added that collective efforts were necessary to eradicate social evils and such incidents were extremely shameful in the 21st century.

The commission also directed the police to thoroughly investigate other individuals involved in the incident and provide security to the victim’s family. Dhiman said that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had taken cognizance of the matter and concrete steps were being taken to bring the culprits to justice. He added that the commission was continuously monitoring such cases in the state and anyone could directly file a complaint with it.

Commission members Vijay Dogra and Digvijay Malhotra said that the culprits would not be spared so that such incidents do not recur. DIG (Law and Order) Ranjana Chauhan said that an FIR had been registered and the DSP, Rohru, was investigating the case. She added that a woman had been named in the FIR and other accused were being identified.

Ranjana assured the commission and the Scheduled Castes community of a fair investigation into the case. The commission also held a meeting with the DGP and other senior officers and asked the police chief to ensure fair probe into the incident.