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Seema Patel, 22, who left her husband’s home over a year-and-a-half ago as it had no toilet, has now returned after her in-laws complied with her demand for building one.
Seema left her in-laws' house in Shahpur town of Betul district in Madhya Pradesh after umpteen attempts to convince them to build a toilet. She was pregnant at that time.
Now, after 20 months, her in-laws have finally realised the necessity of a toilet at home after social groups and media highlighted the matter, lauding Seema for her courageous decision.
"Finally, we have constructed a toilet with the help of a local woman sarpanch (village panchayat head) of Shahpur," her husband Mohan said.
On Thursday, Seema and her 19-month-old girl were accorded a warm welcome at a function organised at the Panchayat Bhavan in Shahpur before her husband took them home.
The woman sarpanch of Shahpur panchayat, Mangita Bai, also honoured her on the occasion.
Recognising Seema's move, Betul district collector Gyaneshwar B Patil said she will be enlisted as the 'Swacchhata Doot' (messenger of cleanliness) in view of the courage shown by her in ensuring her right to sanitation facilities.
Seema, who belongs to Itarsi in Hoshangabad district, had married Mohan in May 2012 and moved out to live with her parents in January 2014.
Mohan's parents at that time had cited lack of money as one of the reasons behind not building a toilet in the house but when the sarpanch came to know about it, she took the initiative to get a toilet constructed in their house.
Image used for representational purposes only.