Workers sacked in Gujarat for protesting against manual scavenging, called "national shame" by Gandhiji

By A Representative
In what is being seen as a gory case of official high-handedness by voluntary organizations working on Dalit rights issues, as many as eight cleaning contract workers, who were being forced to manually clean up human excreta at public places, have been sacked from their jobs for staging a protest on Independence-day eve. Working as manual scavengers under the Dudhrej municipality of Surendranagar district, Gujarat, these workers’ fault was that they took part in a fairly representative rally, followed by a dharna, against the despicable practice, which Mahatma Gandhi once called “shame of the nation.”
The dharna was withdrawn immediately after oral assurance from the officials that they would “look into the problem of all manual scavengers.” However, to their utter surprise, instead of regularizing their jobs, they were orally asked not to come on job from the next day.
Demands of the manual scavengers included provision of protective equipment, mechanical cleansing of human excreta at public places, institution of cases under the anti-atrocities Act against officials who forced them to clean up human excreta manually, early implementation of the laws banning manual scavenging and dry latrines, payment of minimum wages, receipts showing they were members of the provident fund scheme, and regularization in service.

Protesters raise slogans against manual scavenging

In a fresh representation to the district collector on August 22, and made through the Safai Kamdar Hak Rakshak Samiti, Surendrangar, and signed by its leader, Baldevbhai Maganbhai Rathod, the contract workers said, “While the officials orally promised on Independence day even to withdraw our programme, telling us that our demands would be met, this has not happened. Instead we were sacked. We were later told that we would be taken back, but this has also not happened.”
The Samiti said, this is the reason why the manual scavengers of Dudhrej are being “forced to sit on indefinite dharna outside the district collector’s office.” The Samiti is being supported by Navsarjan Trust, a well-known Dalit rights organization based in Ahmedabad.
One of its volunteers, Natubhai Parmar, who is in Surendranagar, told Counterview, “What is particularly shocking is that, the officials are totally indifferent towards the demands. This is clear from the official reply they have handed over to the Samiti. For instance, all know that the workers are being paid Rs 160 per day, which is around Rs 80 less than the minimum wages. Yet, the officialdom says they have no representation.”

In district collector's office, while handing over representation

This is the third protest against manual scavenging in Dudhrej, a town about 100 kilometres from Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s business capital. On warpath since last month against the despicable practice, their first protest rally was on July 27, which was followed by media reports (click HERE to read).
Ever since, while the district officialdom remains in”different, there is no pressure from the state Capital, Gandhinagar, too, to act against the practice. The manual scavengers, on least two previous occasions, have sent copies of the representation to local officials to Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel.
Giving the instance of three manual scavengers who took lead in the earlier protests, the representation said how Bharatbhai Bhikhabhai Valodara, Hiteshbhai Bariya and Indubhai Mayawada are being asked to plead with different officials to take them back on job, but to no avail.
“You took a lead in the rally on August 14”, a senior municipality official has been quoted as telling Valodara while refusing to take him back on job. The other two were told that they could go and bring pressure from wherever they liked, but they would not be taken back on job, as they protested against the municipal authorities.”

Comments

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

Aravalli at the crossroads: Environment, democracy, and the crisis of justice

By Rajendra Singh* The functioning of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has undergone a troubling shift. Once mandated to safeguard forests and ecosystems, the Ministry now appears increasingly aligned with industrial interests. Its recent affidavit before the Supreme Court makes this drift unmistakably clear. An institution ostensibly created to protect the environment now seems to have strayed from that very purpose.

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

India’s universities lag global standards, pushing students overseas: NITI Aayog study

By Rajiv Shah A new Government of India study, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations , prepared by NITI Aayog , regrets that India’s lag in this sector is the direct result of “several systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to provide quality education and deliver world-class research, weak industry–academia collaboration, and outdated curricula.”

Gig workers’ strike halts platforms, union submits demands to Labour Ministry

By A Representative India’s gig economy witnessed an partial disruption on December 31, 2025, as a large number of delivery workers, app-based service providers, and freelancers across the country participated in a nationwide strike called by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). The strike, which followed days of coordinated protests, shut down major platforms including Zomato , Swiggy , Blinkit , Zepto , Flipkart , and BigBasket in several areas.

The rise of the civilizational state: Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta warns of new authoritarianism

By A Representative Noted political theorist and public intellectual Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta delivered a poignant reflection on the changing nature of the Indian state today, warning that the rise of a "civilizational state" poses a significant threat to the foundations of modern democracy and individual freedom. Delivering the Achyut Yagnik Memorial Lecture titled "The Idea of Civilization: Poison or Cure?" at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Mehta argued that India is currently witnessing a self-conscious political project that seeks to redefine the state not as a product of a modern constitution, but as an instrument of an ancient, authentic civilization.

Why experts say replacing MGNREGA could undo two decades of rural empowerment

By A Representative A group of scientists, academics, civil society organisations and field practitioners from India and abroad has issued an open letter urging the Union government to reconsider the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and to withdraw the newly enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. The letter, dated December 27, 2025, comes days after the VB–G RAM G Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16 and subsequently approved by both Houses of Parliament, formally replacing the two-decade-old employment guarantee law.

NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...

Search This Blog