Safai Karamchari Andolan’s national convenor and social activist Bezwada Wilson called the recent deaths of manual scavengers in Delhi disgraceful and said it was due to blatant flouting of the order of the Supreme Court.
In the last one month, nine manual scavengers have lost their lives while cleaning sewer lines in the Capital. “On one hand we are celebrating the 70th Independence Day and on the other we are pushing the marginalised communities into the drains to die,” Mr. Wilson said.
He said that the law prohibits, and makes punishable, engaging any person to enter sewer lines or septic tanks.
“Knowing the hazardous nature of the sewage system, this practice of sending the vulnerable communities into sewer lines and septic tanks is being routinised with impunity leading to these deaths,” he added.
