Mumbai: The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has attracted the ire of health activists after a 44-year-old social activist from Pratapgarh, Rajasthan, died after being assaulted for allegedly stopping civic officials from taking pictures of women defecating in the open.
On Monday, Jan Sawsthya Abhiyan, a coalition of health organisations, criticised the action and demanded that the government put a stop on vigilantism that may spill out across the country, including in Maharashtra.
“If the government is serious about putting an end to open defecation, they should concentrate on the root cause and bring in solutions instead of victim-shaming tactics. This kind of vigilantism taking place in Rajasthan should stop,” said Maharashtra JSA member Dr. Abhay Shukla. “There is a significant slum-dwelling population in Maharashtra that has no access to toilets. Though we have not come across such activity from officials here, we want people to know that it is absolutely unjustified,” he said.
On June 16, Zafar Hussain succumbed to his injuries after he was allegedly beaten up by local municipal authorities in Pratapgarh, Rajasthan. Hussain allegedly stopped the officials from taking pictures to shame the local women, who were defecating in the open. This led to a heated argument and a fight.
According to Dr. Narendra Gupta, who heads the Rajasthan chapter of JSA, a team of activists carried out a fact-finding exercise. “For long, there were some concerns about the way the anti-open-defecation drive is being implemented. The local officials would go on morning drives and click pictures of people to shame them. Our team also learnt that Hussain had petitioned the local authorities, demanding sanitation facilities in the areas just five days before his death,” he said.
Dr. Gupta said it was found that each district officer was under tremendous pressure to ensure zero open defecation. JSA, in its statement, has also highlighted a recent report indicating that data on open-defecation-free (ODF) villages is being fudged extensively and at least 25% of villages declared ODF in the country do not have functioning toilet facilities accessible to all households. The JSA plans to approach the Rajasthan Chief Minister with these details, he added.
