Two more people have died in Gujarat due to asphyxiation while cleaning sewerage drain.
The latest incident of what is known as ‘manhole deaths’ took place in Dholka town of Ahmedabad district on Saturday evening despite several orders from the Supreme Court and Gujarat High Court prohibiting sending down workers into gutters without safety gears.
At least 282 people, mostly Dalits, have died while cleaning gutters in Gujarat since the 1993 legislation prohibiting manual scavenging of human excreta and several apex court rulings on the matter.
Just a month back, two people had died in Rajkot while cleaning sewer lines without any safety gears.
In Saturday’s incident at Dholka, the two workers became unconscious as soon as they entered a sewerage line to clean it. They died due to asphyxiation instantly.
The two were rushed to a hospital, but the doctors declared them dead.
The local police have lodged FIRs against the contractors under IPC Sections relating to culpable homicide not amounting to murder and also under the relevant Sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Some NGOs have also written to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) seeking justice for such victims.