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Although it is expressly prohibited by a 2013 law to use the least favored castes for menial and dangerous work, it continues to be done. The three victims were cleaning a cistern without any protective equipment. According to official data, at least 347 people who worked in hygienic health services have died in India in the last five years.
Lucknow () – Three workers in their early twenties died from inhaling toxic gases from a clogged septic tank in Uttar Pradesh, the Indian state where the use of manual cleaners for this type of work is most widespread, people who generally They belong to the less favored caste of Dalits, who were traditionally used in India without adopting any type of security measures. When the accident occurred, the three were cleaning a camera, without protective equipment, on the grounds of a house under construction in Barra, Kanpur district. When one of the workers entered the warehouse and collapsed unconscious, another followed to save him, but he also lost consciousness. Finally, the third entered, but suffered the same fate and they all suffocated to death.
The three youths, reports the MattersIndia website, were identified as Amit Kumar, 25, Ankit Pal, 22, and Shiva Tiwari, 25, all from the same district. Police said they will open an investigation against the property owner and contractor for wrongful death and violation of the 2013 law that expressly prohibits the use of manual cleaners and promotes their rehabilitation.
According to data released by the government of India, in the last 5 years at least 347 people who performed hygienic sanitary tasks have died in the country and the highest number of deaths was recorded precisely in Uttar Pradesh. The federal government has also provided data on manual cleaner deaths over the years: the highest number of deaths, 116, was recorded in 2019, followed by 92 in 2017.
