Father-son duo booked for occupying women's toilet; UP

A man and his son were booked for allegedly occupying a government-built community toilet for women here since 2022 and refusing to unlock it despite repeated notices from the district administration, officials said on Wednesday.

The case was registered at Koirona police station on Tuesday evening based on a complaint from Kudi Khurd village head Rinku Mishra against Omkar Nath Tiwari and his son Tribhuvan Nath Tiwari alias Nachkau Tiwari, they said.

Koirona police station in-charge Manish Dwivedi said a case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 318 and 319 (cheating), 336, 338, 340 (forgery), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 351 (criminal intimidation).

Further legal proceedings are underway, he said.

According to District Panchayati Raj Officer Sanjay Mishra, the matter came to light as the village head lodged a complaint, after which they approached the district magistrate and the superintendent of police.

An inquiry conducted by the local lekhpal and tehsildar confirmed that the two-seater government toilet was locked, following which senior officials issued notices directing the duo to open it immediately.

Sanjay Mishra alleged that when Rinku Mishra asked the father and son to unlock the toilet on August 1, 2026, they abused the village head and her husband Ravindra Kumar Mishra, and assaulted them with sticks before driving them away.

The officer further said Omkar Nath Tiwari submitted an affidavit to the Panchayati Raj Department on September 30, claiming that there was no encroachment and that the toilet was not locked. The affidavit purportedly carried the signature of a villager, Rajbali Bharatiya.

However, after learning about the affidavit, dozens of women from the village approached the department and alleged that Bharatiya was illiterate and used his thumb impression instead of signing documents, the officer said.

When Bharatiya was called to verify the affidavit, he denied signing it or submitting any such document, Sanjay Mishra said.

The district panchayati raj officer said he ordered the registration of a case against the father and son on October 12 for allegedly submitting a forged affidavit and furnishing misleading information to the panchayati raj department and the district magistrate's office to continue occupying government property.

Police said efforts are being made to reopen the toilet for public use.