Raising a large banner reading ‘Stop Killing Us’, members of the Safai Karamchari Andolan as well as hundreds of activists gathered near Jantar Mantar on Tuesday to protest the deaths of manual scavengers in sewer-related accidents across the country.
“Eleven manual scavengers have died in Delhi in one week, the government is responsible for this and must put a stop to it,” said Bezwada Wilson, national convener of the andolan.
“There are many things it [the government] can do but they are not even identifying those involved [in manual scavenging],” he added.
Between chants of ‘ Jai Bhim ’ ringing from a loudspeaker, the kin of those killed in sewer cleaning accidents shared stories of grief.
Surjakala, from Ludhiana, spoke about her 10-year-old son, Arman, who died in one such accident in 2014.
“He was tempted with ₹500 to enter a drain to clean it. He drowned and lost his life. Why did this have to happen,” she asked.
Mamta, also from Ludhiana, whose relative, Tinku, fell victim to a sewer accident, said: “We are made to go into sewers for work and our children are left orphaned and homeless.”
She said that she had received compensation from the government and had been given a job, “but it is irregular work... and it is hard to sustain the household”.
No compensation
Rani, whose partner Anil recently died while cleaning a drain in south-west Delhi’s Dabri, was at the protest with her three children.
Holding up a picture of her and her partner, she said she had not received any compensation.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, the andolan said that 221 people had been killed in sewers and septic tanks since 2017, with 83 people having died in just the last few months.
“These are only the reported deaths. There are thousands of unreported deaths in sewer work all across the country. It is shocking that no one is taking responsibility for these killings,” it read.
Pointing out flaws in the government’s survey of manual scavengers, the letter stated: “All the persons who died in sewer work were those whose names did not appear in any survey record.”
The letter made multiple demands, including adequate compensation to families of those killed in sewer deaths, provision of alternative employment, mechanisation of sewerage work and to immediately devise an action plan to stop such deaths.
Manga Devi, who lost her husband in a sewer-related accident in 2014, said: “There needs to be some solution to this. Too many women have lost their husbands.”
