Skip to main content

Manual scavenger victims: Delhi govt 'hasn't compensated', hospitals 'unresponsive'

By A Representative
The Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (BASAM), a rights organization, has said that while on May 5, 2019, five people became victims of manual scavenging in an incident which left 3 injured and 2 dead in Bhagya Vihar, Delhi, one of the injured, Sher Singh, is currently battling for his life, yet, despite the Delhi Chief Minister’s statement, they have not been given the compensatory amount.
Sher's condition is particularly very bad, BASAM said. He has been bedridden for the past three months and the family does not have any income. He is a migrant worker, coming from Tundla (UP) and belongs to the Dalit community. He takes up day labourer's jobs to feed his family of five. He has a wife, Soni, and four young children.
Pointing out that Soni is struggling to sustain her family and take care of her husband's medical expenses, BASAM said, she has had to resort to begging to be able to collect money to take her husband to the hospital. DASAM contacted her after facing several issues with uncooperative authorities of Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital.
Sher was re-admitted to the hospital, was referred on July 23 to the Ambedkar hospital and the GB Pant Hospital, and was taken to the Ambedkar hospital. "From the doctors at Ambedkar we got to know that he is HIV positive. The Sanjay Gandhi hospital discharged him because he was found to be HIV+", regretted DASAM.
"Now Sher's treatment is ongoing from the Ambedkar hospital for HIV but he is too weak because of tuberculosis, Hepatitis B and low immunity levels due to HIV. Neither the GB Pant nor the Ambedkar hospitals are ready to admit him. The man will not be able to survive if he doesn’t get hospital care immediately", DASAM said.

Comments

TRENDING

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

Civil society flags widespread violations of land acquisition Act before Parliamentary panel

By Jag Jivan   Civil society organisations and stakeholders from across India have presented stark evidence before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj , alleging systemic violations of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013 , particularly in Scheduled Areas and tribal regions.

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai*  The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

​ By Syed Ali Mujtaba*  ​The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Concentration of wealth in India at levels 'comparable to colonial times', says new report

By Jag Jivan  A new report published in March 2026 by the Centre for Financial Accountability and the Tax The Top campaign paints a stark picture of deepening economic disparity in India, documenting a concentration of wealth that it argues is “comparable to colonial times.” Titled Wealth Tracker India | Tax the Top. Close the Gap , the compilation presents data from the World Inequality Database and the Hurun Rich List to illustrate the meteoric rise of the ultra-wealthy alongside the stagnation and debt burdens of the majority.

Protesters in UK cities voice concerns over alleged developments in Bastar region

By A Representative   Demonstrations were held across several cities in the United Kingdom on March 28, as groups and activists gathered to protest what they described as state actions in India under the reported “Operation Kagar.”

Dr. Ram Bux Singh: Biogas pioneer’s legacy gains urgency amid energy crisis

By A Representative   In an era defined by a global energy crisis and a desperate search for sustainable solutions, the visionary work of an Indian scientist from the mid-20th century is finding renewed, urgent relevance. Dr. Ram Bux Singh , a pioneering figure in biogas and renewable energy , is being posthumously honored by the Government of India, even as his decades-old innovations provide a blueprint for today’s challenges.