Limbda torn apart after death of 12-year-old Dalit boy

Though Limbda is an SC-dominated settlement, 18 of its 21 houses belong to Scheduled Caste families, three Rajput households, including that of widow Pushpa Devi, have long lived here. It was Devi who allegedly confined the boy in her cowshed before he escaped. In response to her arrest under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, Rajput-dominated neighbouring villages like Kutra, Shagli, Gumna and Jangla came together to form the Swaran Samaj on September 28, two days after the Act was invoked.

Pushpa Devi was first booked only under abetment to suicide (Section 107) and wrongful confinement (Section 127(2), BNS 2023). On September 26, Sections 3(2)(v) and 3(2)(va) of the SC/ST Act were added to the FIR. By then, she had already obtained interim bail from the Himachal Pradesh High Court on September 25. On Monday, police submitted a status report to the court of Justice Rakesh Kainthla, acknowledging that “untouchability and casteism are still being practiced” in Limbda. Justice Kainthla has reserved his order on Devi’s bail plea.

“Limbda village originally belonged to the Koli community. The Chauhan family of Pushpa Devi shifted here three decades ago from Kutra,” said Guddu Ram, a distant relative of the victim boy, speaking from the family’s kutcha house perched atop a steep hill with no motorable road. “Since the day we cremated our child, many people, including the accused woman, came to plead for forgiveness. Members of the Gram Panchayat also accompanied her. We did not speak much to them.”

Guddu Ram added, “We heard that upper-caste villagers have formed a group to counter us. Four days ago, when ex-MLA and CPI(M) leader Rakesh Singha visited our house, he was intercepted at Jangla by members of this group. We are not scared, but there is an uneasy calm. We are very cautious about who comes to us.”

His caution was visible: one woman relative admitted she had initially mistaken this correspondent for a “spy.” At the victim’s home, his mother and two uncles were present; his father and another uncle had gone to Shimla. The boy’s mother said, “Pushpa Devi came twice to seek forgiveness. I told her: bring my child back. My son had dropped out of school a few months ago.”

One of the uncles countered rumours that the boy was a habitual thief: “These stories are being spread to cover up casteism. We belong to the Koli community, among the lowest in the hierarchy even within SCs. Our deities are different too—Kilbalu Devta and Mahasu Devta—unlike the upper castes who worship Khantu Maharaj and Devidhar Ghantu.”

He added that divisions cut even within Scheduled Castes. “Some castes can enter upper-caste homes, except kitchens and shrines. But not us. When Pushpa Devi’s husband died mysteriously years ago, it was the victim’s father who carried his body to the hospital. Now, her house is ‘polluted’ because his son entered it.”

On the other side, Swaran Samaj leaders reject the allegations. “The boy’s death is tragic, but it is being given a different colour,” said Pawan Negi, a founding member. “Claims about a goat being demanded to ‘purify’ a house are unbelievable. If outsiders keep disturbing the atmosphere, we will protest aggressively.”

Meanwhile, Mohit Chauhan, 24, Pushpa Devi’s son, told The Indian Express: “My mother never locked the boy in the cowshed or demanded a goat. Just two weeks earlier, we hosted a religious function at our home where 45 lower-caste villagers ate with us. We even gave police a video recording. Why would we then treat a boy like this?”

The Himachal Pradesh police status report paints a different picture. In its 14-page submission, police said forensic evidence indicated the boy broke out of the cowshed through an iron mesh window. The report confirmed caste-based divisions, citing testimony of local priest Chain Ram, who said Kolis and some other sub-castes were still treated as untouchables.

Deputy Commissioner Shimla, Anupam Kashyap, said the administration is in touch with all sides: “The SDM has been asked to remain engaged. We have released Rs 4.12 lakh in relief to the boy’s family under the SC/ST Act.”

The court has reserved its order on Pushpa Devi’s bail. In Limbda, though, the divisions grow sharper by the day—an ancient social faultline exposed by the death of a child.