Sehore: The coveted Open Defecation Free (ODF) status under PM’s Swachh Bharat initiative is pushing public representatives and government staffers to limits. In one such incident, Janpad Panchayat president and Chief Municipal Officer (CMO) not only publicly rebuked a man for defecating in open but also asked him drop his pants down and do sit ups.

The man was so stressed with public humiliation that he stopped going out of home afterwards, claimed his family based in Sehore district’s village Kaljash.

According to villagers, the victim Sunil Rai was relieving himself in open early morning when Jawar Nagar Panchayat head Shailesh Beth and Chief Municipal Officer Chandar Singh Thakur spotted him.

The two officials accompanied by government staff first reprimanded Rai and then asked him to drag his pants down and do sit ups in full public view.

Locals alleged that a highly embarrassed Sunil has stopped interacting to anyone and even he is not coming out of the home after the incident.

Villagers also claimed that government staffers are even threatening locals including elderly citizens to strip them of benefits of government schemes if they defecated in open. A video of the act also went viral after the event.

Recently, an elderly man was beaten up and abused by Ujjain municipal corporation vigilance staffers for defecating in open.

Of late, most of the district administrations have turned the heat on the lower rung staffers over yet to be received ODF status.