A 17-year-old girl on Friday committed suicide in Jharkhand after her parents refused to construct toilet at their home.

Khushbu Kumari, a first year BA student, who was ashamed to defecate in open, took the extreme step when her parents were not around.



Quoting family members, Dumka Superintendent of Police Vipul Shukla said that the body of Kumari was found hanging from the ceiling.Her mother Sanju Devi said Kumari wanted that a toilet be constructed before her marriage proposal, the SP said.

Her mother attributed paucity of funds as the reason for their inability to construct the toilet and marry her daughter off, Shukla said.

"A case of unnatural death has been registered," Dumka Superintendent of Police Vipul Shukla said.

In an official statement issued on Saturday, Dumka Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rahul Kumar Sinha termed the incident as "extremely hurtful". Taking suo moto cognisance, Sinha ordered a police probe into the incident and asked them to ensure taking action against the guilty.

"As per reports, a quarrel had ensued between the girl and her mother," the statement quoting the DC said.

The DC also issued directive to the officials concerned to carry out a survey of houses having no toilets in town areas or its adjoining villages and submit a report.

He also ordered construction of toilets under "Nirmal Gram" scheme by carrying out a campaign in one or two months and ensure every house in the distict had a toilet, the statement said.

Soon after the incident, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh took to Twitter to say that India as a nation must wake up and build toilets on priority.

"A girl in Jharkhand committed suicide as her parents refused to build toilet ! India as a Nation must wake up and build toilets on priority", Singh tweeted.