50-year-old activist killed for stopping officials from taking photos of women defecating

Rajasthan man assaulted for stopping officials from clicking defecating women, dies

New Delhi: An activist was lynched to death by Municipality officials for stopping them from scaring women defecating in the open and taking their photographs. The incident took place near Bagwasa Kachi Basti area in Rajasthan's Pratapgrah town at around 6:30 am where few women had gone to attend natures call. Nagar Parishad commissioner Ashok Jain’s team of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan members was conducting a follow-up on open defecation To scare away from the women from defecating in open, the officials started taking their photographs promoting 50-year-old Zafar Khan to intervene. Khan’s objection irked the officials following which they assaulted him severely with sticks. He later succumbed to injuries. His elder brother Noor Mohammad registered a complaint against Kamal Harijan, Ritesh Harijan, Manish Harijan, Nagar Parishad commissioner Ashok Jain and others following police have registered a case of murder, Pratapgarh Kotwali police said. Pratapgarh Superintendent of Police, Shivraj Meena told news agency PTI, "We are getting the matter investigated and a case has been registered against four named accused in the FIR". SHO, Pratapgarh Kotwali, Mangilal Bishnoi said that the body has been kept at district hospital for postmortem. Irate family members and locals blocked traffic on National Highway113, created an uproar in the hospital and outside Ashok Jain’s residence. Police have been deployed considering the matter sensitive and to maintain law and order. "We are investigating the case and no arrests have been made so far," he said.