Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu: On public facilities in parts of Tamil Nadu, a family radiates happiness from a poster that advertises "Namma Toilets" or Toilets For All.
In reality, what the family feels is closer to shame and humiliation.
The family stays at a slum dwelling in Coimbatore, and its members say they were never asked before their photo was used on the toilet campaign, which talks about a "universal design approach to eradicate open defecation in urban Tamil Nadu."
The pictures, they say, were taken for a census photograph by civic officials last year.
"We feel ashamed... posters have been put up in Chennai, Ooty, Kunoor, Andhra... all over the place...our children are not able to go to school, my daughter is feeling ashamed because everyone ask her about the posters," said the woman who is a part of the family. She alleged that their images were used only because they belong to the Dalit or underprivileged caste.
"There should be immediate action...or we will have to go to court against the government," she said.
The family, and its neighbours in the slum, today went around tearing down the posters put up on civic body-run public toilets in Coimbatore.
They later walked to the district collector's office with a petition demanding the removal of the posters.
A young girl whose face is also on the poster, alleged discrimination, saying, "These photos of Namma Toilets have been circulated on Facebook and social media...we feel humiliated. Despite the law saying discrimination against Dalits is a crime, the government itself is discriminating."
The Tamil Nadu government recently launched hundreds of public toilets across the state and the "offending" poster is displayed on most of them.
Ms Gandhimathi, Deputy Commissioner of the Coimbatore Corporation said "We received these seventeen toilets from Chennai through the Deparatment of Municipal Administration. We have informed them. Very soon we would remove those pictures after we get a nod from them".
In reality, what the family feels is closer to shame and humiliation.
The family stays at a slum dwelling in Coimbatore, and its members say they were never asked before their photo was used on the toilet campaign, which talks about a "universal design approach to eradicate open defecation in urban Tamil Nadu."
"We feel ashamed... posters have been put up in Chennai, Ooty, Kunoor, Andhra... all over the place...our children are not able to go to school, my daughter is feeling ashamed because everyone ask her about the posters," said the woman who is a part of the family. She alleged that their images were used only because they belong to the Dalit or underprivileged caste.
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The family, and its neighbours in the slum, today went around tearing down the posters put up on civic body-run public toilets in Coimbatore.
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A young girl whose face is also on the poster, alleged discrimination, saying, "These photos of Namma Toilets have been circulated on Facebook and social media...we feel humiliated. Despite the law saying discrimination against Dalits is a crime, the government itself is discriminating."
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Ms Gandhimathi, Deputy Commissioner of the Coimbatore Corporation said "We received these seventeen toilets from Chennai through the Deparatment of Municipal Administration. We have informed them. Very soon we would remove those pictures after we get a nod from them".
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