Sulabh International founder and social activist Bindeshwar Pathak died on Tuesday at AIIMS Delhi due to a cardiac arrest. The 80-year-old social entrepreneur was a pioneer in building public toilets in India.
According to a close aide, Pathak hoisted the national flag in the morning on the occasion of Independence Day and collapsed soon after that. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
“He was rushed to AIIMS Delhi where he was declared brought dead at 1.42 pm,” the aide stated. According to AIIMS official spokesperson, Pathak had developed pain in his chest and was being brought to AIIMS emergency in Delhi when he suffered a cardiac arrest at around 1.30 pm. His body has been kept in AIIMS mortuary.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to condole Pathak’s demise. The Prime Minister also hailed him for working extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden.
“Bindeshwar Ji made it his mission to build a cleaner India. He provided monumental support to the Swachh Bharat Mission. During our various conversations, his passion towards Swachhata was always visible,” he stated.
“His work will continue to inspire several people. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time. Om Shanti,” the Prime Minister added. Bindeshwar Pathak was originally from Vaishali district of Bihar. His native village was Rampur Baghel. He made so much effort to end the practice of manual scavenging.
He first came to understand the plight of scavengers in 1968 when he joined the Bhangi-Mukti (scavengers’ liberation) Cell of the Bihar Gandhi Centenary Celebrations Committee. Pathak was also conferred with Padma Bhushan in 1991. According to the information received, Sulabh International has about 8500 toilets and bathrooms across the country.
In a rare honour in 2016, New York City declared April 14 as `Bindeshwar Pathak Day’ in recognition of the contributions made by the Indian social activist for improving the lives of people engaged in the “most dehumanising situation”.
Sulabh International is an India-based social service organisation which works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, waste management and reforms through education. It has constructed over 1.3 million household toilets and over 50 million government toilets based on an innovative design. Apart from construction of toilets, the organisation has been leading a movement to discourage manual cleaning of human waste.
