Girl seeks father’s arrest over unbuilt loo

Aseven year-old Indian girl has asked police arrest her father after he failed to build a toilet in their home as promised, officials said yesterday.

Millions of Indians do not have access to sanitation and open defecation is a problem, even in developed, industrial states.

The girl, E. Hanifa Zaara, didn’t want to go out in the open to answer nature’s call and won a promise from her father to build a lavatory indoors, said police officer A. Valarmathi.

Shook hands

But when no toilet was built, she went to the police to lodge a complaint, Valarmathi said over the telephone from the southern town of Ambur, 100km from the city of Chennai.

“The girl was adamant on having her father arrested as she felt cheated,” Valarmathi said.

“We then rang up her father, called him to the police station and made them shake hands and compromise.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been pushing a campaign to build 100 million toilets in India.