In yet another septic tank incident, two workers died cleaning one in Gurugram on Sunday, 14 April.
According to police, the incident took place around 4.30 pm at Sunbeam Auto Pvt Ltd Police said the work had been outsourced to a contractor, as reported by The Indian Express.
The victims have been identified as Aslam (33) from West Bengal, and Shivkumar (35) from Bihar. In addition to these workers, a third worker, Shailesh, was critically injured and is admitted in the ICU of a private hospital in the city, as per The Indian Express.
Subhash Boken, PRO of Gurgaon Police, said,
“The men were taken to Kathuria Hospital, where Aslam and Shivkumar were declared dead on arrival.”Subhash Boken, PRO of Gurgaon Police, as reported by The Indian Express
He also added, “The families of the three men have been alerted to the incident and are on their way to Gurugram. A case will be registered once they arrive and submit a complaint. The contractor’s whereabouts are unknown as of now.”
A worker who did not want to be named, told The Indian Express,“Aslam took his place but while working, he started feeling dizzy and fell unconscious. Shivkumar went inside to help him, but also seems to have inhaled the fumes and lost consciousness.”
The Times of India said that the union members had staged a protest after the occurrence of the deaths on Sunday and also submitted a letter to the management.
This is not the first incident of septic tank deaths to have occurred in the city. A worker died while cleaning a sewage line in Sector 9 in May last year, according to TOI. In 2017, three workers had died while cleaning a sewage line in Khandsa.
It is mandatory for all workers involved in dangerous jobs such as these to be provided with safety gear like gloves, masks, etc. According to Indian Express, the police is still determining if the same was provided to them.
(With inputs from The Indian Express and TOI)
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