‘Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan’ was one of the initiatives undertaken by the government of India with a goal to eradicate the practice of open defecation. Especially in rural areas. Time and again, the importance of toilets have been stressed on. And they are important from the health point of view. While much is being said and done, sadly, the present scenario in rural India is completely different and the targets that were set by the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan have borne no fruitful results as such.
A 17-year-old girl has committed suicide in Jharkhand because her parents refused to construct a toilet at their home.
Khushbu Kumari was found hanging from the ceiling of her room. The girl had persuaded her parents to construct a toilet as she was embarrassed to defecate in the open. After her requests fell on empty ears, she decided to commit suicide. Her parents reasoned that they didn’t agree to her because they were saving money for her marriage. “My daughter told me that I go have to travel so far for a toilet in this heat, so construct a toilet first,” said her mother.
People have expressed their opinions over Twitter after this incident. One of them was Digvijaya Singh, a member of Congress.
A girl in Jharkhand committed suicide as her parents refused to build toilet ! India as a Nation must wake up and build toilets on priority
— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) July 4, 2015
17-year-old girl committed suicide in Jharkhand after parents refused to make toilet at home. She was ashamed to defecate in the open.
— Ravi Shankar (@etteth) July 4, 2015
Horrifying. Teenage girl in Jharkhand commits suicide because her parents refused to build a toilet at home http://t.co/HDpt635TYF
— Betwa Sharma (@betwasharma) July 4, 2015
Sad tale, choice of marriage over toilet – Jharkhand Girl’s suicide after parents refuse toilet in home http://t.co/7AD2hcMQww via @htTweets
— sreekant khandekar (@sreekantafaqs) July 4, 2015
Well, this is really sad! After so many campaigns and awareness, it is saddening that people of India (especiaaly rural India) are unaware about this issue and its impact.