On 25th January, just one day before Republic Day, the management of Sri Svethambar Sthanakwasi Bawees Sampraday Jain Sangha Trust located on the Infantry Road in Shivajinagar Bengaluru, employed Muniyanna (~50 years) and Sidappa (17 years) to clean an approximately 20 feet deep chamber into which sewage was being discharged. Sidappa went in first and fell unconscious. Muniyanna went to save him and he also feel unconcious. Workers working on premises rused to save both of them. Sidappa was broght dead to the hospital while Muniyanna was admitted to the ICU of Bowring hospital. On 29th Janunary 2020, Muniyanna also passed away.
The doctors said that his lungs were filled with sewage. There was foul smelling sewage in the chamber and it was strewn all around the chamber. Despite this, the police officials at the Commercial Street Police Station refused to accept a complaint and file a FIR. Only after a protest outside the mortuary and pressure from lawyers was a FIR filed late evening on 25th January 2020.
Protest
A protest was organized jointly by AICCTU, Safaikarmachari Kavulu Samithi-Karnataka, People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), All India People’s Forum (AIPF) and Karnataka Slum Janadolana on 27th January 2020 at Town Hall in Bengaluru urging government to take urgent steps to stop killig of Dalit workers. Labour Commissioner came and received the memorandum.
Press Coverage
- The News Minute, ‘17-yr-old dead after being made to clean sewage chamber in Bengaluru’, Jan 25, 2020.
- India Today, ‘Boy dies inside manhole in Bengaluru, went inside for Rs 600‘, Jan 25, 2020.
- Prajavani, ‘ಶೌಚಗುಂಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಉಸಿರುಗಟ್ಟಿ ಕಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಸಾವು‘, Jan 26, 2020.
- The New Indian Express, ‘Worker dies while cleaning septic tank in Bengaluru‘, Jan 26, 2020.
- The New Indian Express, ‘Siddanna did not know anything about cleaning septic tanks: Kin‘, Jan 26, 2020.
- The Hindu, ‘Labourer dies while cleaning pit in Shivajinagar‘, Jan 26, 2020.
- Deccan Herald, ‘19-year-old boy from Ballari dies while cleaning septic tank in Bengaluru‘, Jan 26, 2020.
- BangaloreMirror, ‘19-yr-old dies cleaning manhole in Shivajinagar‘ Jan 26, 2020.
- The News Minute, ‘Never ending tragedy: Bengaluru blue collar workers protest manual scavenging deaths‘, Jan 27, 2020.
- Prajavani, ‘ಅಲಕ್ಷ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಆಕ್ರೋಶ‘ Jan 28, 2020.
- Vijeth Veerappa Saliyan, ‘Aioo! Why Did A Manual Scavenger Die On Republic Day!‘, Jan 26, 2020.
- Velivada, ‘Drape The Tiranga On The Asphyxiated Body Of Siddappa‘.
- The New Indian Express, ‘‘Death of manual scavengers is institutional murder’‘, Jan 28, 2020.
- The New Indian Express, ‘Bengaluru: Labourer’s death, while trying to save colleague, leaves family devastated‘, Jan 29, 2020.
- The New Indian Express, ‘Despite ban on occupation, 50,000 manual scavengers risk their lives in Bengaluru‘ Jan 29, 2020.
- The Hindu, ‘Pit-cleaning incident: Second labourer too dies‘, Jan 29, 2020.
- Pravajani, ‘ಶೌಚಗುಂಡಿಗೆ ಮತ್ತೊಬ್ಬ ಬಲಿ‘, Jan 29, 2020.
- The New Indian Express, ‘For sewer cleaners in Bengaluru’s Manyata Tech Park, life is a dark and hopeless pit‘, Jan 31, 2020.