Dalit children killing: Coercion for behaviour change under Swachh Bharat unacceptable, says Centre

In the wake of the killing of two Dalit children in Madhya Pradesh for defecating in the open, the Centre on Friday told states that any type of coercive action related to sanitation behaviour is "unacceptable under any circumstance" and the guilty should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of law.

The two children were killed in Shivpuri district on Wednesday.

In an advisory to the states, the Jal Shakti Ministry said that "any type of coercive action taken by anybody, including government or elected officials or private individuals with respect to sanitation behaviour of any kind is unacceptable under any circumstance."