Protest in Delhi Demands Strict Enforcement of Manual Scavengers Act
Vigorous Protest at Jantar Mantar
In the heart of Delhi, at Jantar Mantar, sanitation workers, their families, and human rights activists gathered to stage a powerful protest. The demonstrators called for the strict implementation of the 'Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013' across the nation. Many participants, representing victimized families, wore placards stating 'Stop Killing Us,' reflecting the grief of losing loved ones during septic tank cleaning.
Heartbreaking Stories and Lack of Safety Gear
Satyavati from Dwarka shared the tragic story of her brother-in-law, Ashok Kumar, who lost his life while cleaning a septic tank in Narela in 2009 while working for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). She emphasized that entering a septic tank without safety equipment is akin to jumping into a pit of death.
Palram, a 60-year-old daily wage worker from Rohini, revealed that he has been cleaning septic tanks for the past 25 years without any safety gear or formal training. He admitted that he took up this perilous job for a slightly higher wage but has never received modern safety equipment. Recently, he fractured his leg after slipping into a tank.
Palram recounted, 'My first job in the early 2000s was sweeping, which paid me ₹50. Later, I started cleaning clogged septic tanks for ₹70-100. The higher pay lured me into this work. I was instructed to carefully descend using slippery iron handles and clean the tank. That’s the only training I’ve ever received.'
Continued Risks and Insufficient Protection
He further mentioned, 'Some NGOs donate gloves, which I use, but otherwise, I enter the tank with minimal clothing.'
Deepti Sukumar, 64, who has been part of this movement for 35 years, stated that when the government acknowledges the dangers of this work and the fatalities that occur, these deaths are not mere statistics but 'murders under government supervision.' A 33-year-old PhD scholar specializing in caste and labor issues at Ambedkar University pointed out that despite the government's focus on sanitation campaigns, workers engaged in the most hazardous jobs still lack essential safety measures.
Political Support for the Cause
The protest saw participation from leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), including Brinda Karat and MP Manoj Kumar Jha. Karat remarked, 'These sanitation workers go unnoticed while alive, but after their deaths, the government treats them as if they never existed.'
Highlighting the connection between caste and deaths related to septic tank cleaning, Jha noted that sanitation workers are involved in extremely risky jobs with minimal safety, and most of them come from marginalized communities.