Bihar: Man told to 'sell wife' for toilet lost wife 20 years ago

In many ways, Saukina personifies the real Bihar - and the real India - that desperately needs government help and empathy. The 21st century Digital India is a far cry for them; they still lack basic amenities.

Saukina Dom at Jamhor tola in Aurangabad on Tuesday. Picture by Sanjay Choudhary

PATNA: Aurangabad district magistrate Kanwal Tanuj could not have chosen worse words than "sell your wife" in his retort against the man who had expressed inability to build a toilet at home unless the government paid the money for it in advance. The man, Saukina Dom, lost his wife to a sudden illness nearly 20 years ago and has not remarried. Saukina, who said he is "around 40" years old, told The Telegraph today that he would not have gone to the swachhta mahasabha - an awareness programme against open defecation - in Jamhor block on Saturday had he known that he would be so insulted publicly. "Is apman ko hum kaise bataye (where do I begin to narrate my humiliation)," said Saukina, a daily wage labourer who makes ends meet mostly by manual scavenging. "It's an insult to my wife, Parvati Devi, who died about 20 years ago. I live with my old mother Rajapati Devi in a makeshift house. I had requested the district magistrate to pay in advance the government fund for constructing a toilet at home." Saukina said his wife had died within two years of their marriage. "One day, she suddenly complained of severe pain in her abdomen. We were preparing to take her to the hospital but she died. I was only 15 when I married Parvati. Her memories are still fresh in my mind," he said. "We had no children. I have decided to not ever remarry. Though my mother would insist I get married again, ab woh bhi samaj gayi hai (now she has also understood)." After the district magistrate's (DM's) tongue lashing, Saukina was rebuked by the security personnel and hurriedly taken out of the meeting venue, around 110km southwest of Patna. "I am so shocked at the remarks of the DM that I have planned to meet chief minister Nitish Kumar to lodge my protest. The DM made such derogatory remarks just because I am a Mahadalit," he said. Administrative officials had made public announcements two days before the meeting that the DM would address the people. "If I knew the DM would insult me, I would not have gone there," said Saukina, vowing to never participate in any meeting convened by the district magistrate. In many ways, Saukina personifies the real Bihar - and the real India - that desperately needs government help and empathy. The 21st century Digital India is a far cry for them; they still lack basic amenities. The hamlet Saukina lives in is home to 12 Mahadalit families; they have neither been given houses under central government rural housing schemes nor the state's old-age pensions for senior citizens, Saukina said. "My mother is over 70 years of age but she doesn't get old-age pension," he said. His shanty is hardly 100 metres from the venue of Saturday's meeting. Other residents of the hamlet have thanked Saukina for raising the voice of the underprivileged. "Usne jo kaha sahi kaha (what he said is right)," said Ashok Dom, a resident. Other residents Lichiya Devi, Chinta Devi, Babita and Nupoor Kuer agreed. "Hum log yeh apman bardast nahi karenge (we will not tolerate such humiliation)," they said. DM Tanuj has said that what he meant to convey with his outburst is that the people should have self-respect. But the Rs 12,000 the government reimburses for building a toilet at home is harder than self-respect for people like Saukina - who earns around Rs 250 on a good day - to arrange. The annual per capita income in Aurangabad's rural areas is Rs 12,302; the DM was in effect asking villagers to set aside a year's earning for a toilet and await reimbursement. Former chief secretary of undivided Bihar V.S. Dubey said Tanuj - a 2012 batch IAS officer - should apologise publicly. "I thinks his intentions were good, but the words he used to express his contention at the official meeting were in bad taste," Dubey said. "Young officers should maintain restraint." DM Tanuj did not answer The Telegraph's calls. -The Telegraph Calcutta