Refused compensation, Delhi manual scavenger dies, family in dire straits

By Sanjeev Kumar*

In a tragic incident in May 2019 two people were killed due to manual scavenging in Bhagya Vihar, Delhi. On 7th May 2019, five informal workers were made to clean the septic tank of a private household where two workers died due to asphyxiation and three workers were left severely injured. One of the workers, Sher Singh, was left critically injured from the incident.

Sher Singh was a Dalit migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh and worked as a daily wage labourer. For many hours he lay unconscious inside the septic tank and the exposure to poisonous gasses caused grievous harm to his health. He was later diagnosed with tuberculosis, Hepatitis B and many other life threatening diseases.

Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM) had conducted a fact finding of the case and found that Sher Singh had not received any compensation from the government. We continuously approached the government to avail medical help for Sher Singh but did not get any appropriate help from the government agencies.

Through the help and contribution of many like-minded individuals we were able to raise crowdfunds to support the medical expenses of Sher Singh over the years.

While battling with illness, Sher Singh’s wife Soni had to leave her job to take care of his bedridden husband. Her eldest son had to leave education at the age of 15 and took up informal work to sustain his family. Not only this, Soni and her son have been diagnosed with tuberculosis due to being in direct contact with Sher Singh.

Sher Singh and Soni have three school going daughters who are diagnosed with various illnesses due to lack of proper nutrition and sanitation facilities in the household.

On 8 June 2024, after battling for his life for five years Sher Singh passed away. Many have helped Sher Singh’s family by providing monetary support for his medical expenses in the last five years.

While one is grieved at Sher Singh’s death, one must also remember how the state failed him and continues to fail many victims of manual scavenging like him. The effects of the incident are irreversible and have altered the life of all the family members.

The family is left with no source of income and there is no means to pay for the medical expenses or even buy daily household ration

While grieving the loss of their husband and father, the family has been struck by another tragedy caused due to the same incident. Sher Singh’s eldest son, is in a critical condition and is admitted in Lala Ram Saroop TB Hospital, New Delhi as he is not responding to medications.

The burden of sustaining his family by doing daily wage work and taking care of his ailing father caused his health to deteriorate. The doctors state that his tuberculosis has gotten worse and he has to be admitted in the hospital for the next five to six weeks.

Soni is left with no option but to be by her son’s side while he battles for his life. Once again the family is left with no source of income and there is no means to pay for the medical expenses or even buy daily household ration for the children. Soni cannot afford proper food, daily medicines, and travel for regular hospital visits which is essential for her son’s recovery.

Appealing for help (click here for bank details) from concerned individuals to Sher Singh's family, DASAM condemned the state’s inaction towards banning the practice of manual scavenging and not taking measures to rehabilitate the families of victims. The government must give due compensation to the family members and take cognisance of the effects of their negligence.

---

*Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM), National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM)

Comments

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge — Blurring the line between fiction and political narrative

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" does not wait to be remembered; it arrives almost on the heels of its predecessor, released on March 19, 2026, just months after the first film’s December 2025 debut. The speed of its arrival feels less like creative urgency and more like calculated timing—cinema responding not to storytelling rhythm but to the emotional climate of its audience. Director Aditya Dhar, along with actor Yami Gautam, appears acutely aware of this moment and how to harness it.

BJP accounts for 99% of political donations in Gujarat: Corporate giants dominate

By Jag Jivan An analysis of the official data on donations received by national parties from Gujarat during the Financial Year 2024-25 reveals a staggering concentration of funding, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounting for nearly the entirety of the contributions. The data, compiled in a document titled "National Parties donations received from Gujarat during FY-2024-25," lists thousands of transactions, painting a detailed picture of the financial backing for political parties from one of India’s most industrially significant states.

Alarming decline in India's repair culture threatens circular economy goals: Study

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive new study by environmental research and advocacy organisation Toxics Link has painted a worrying picture of India's fading repair culture, warning that the trend towards replacement over repair is accelerating the country's already critical e-waste crisis.

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.

Captains extraordinaire: Ranking cricket’s most influential skippers

By Harsh Thakor* Ranking the greatest cricket captains is a subjective exercise, often sparking passionate debate among fans. The following list is not merely a tally of wins and losses; it is an assessment of leadership’s deeper impact. My criteria fuse a captain’s playing record with their tactical skill, placing the highest consideration on their ability to reshape a team’s fortunes and inspire those around them. A captain who inherited a dominant empire is judged differently from one who resurrected a nation’s cricket from the doldrums. With that in mind, here is my perspective on the finest leaders the game has ever seen.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

‘No merit’ in Chakraborty’s claims: Personal ethics talk sans details raises questions

By Jag Jivan A recent opinion piece published in The Quint by Subhash Chandra Garg has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Atanu Chakraborty from HDFC Bank , with Garg stating that the exit “raises doubts about his own ‘ethics’.” Garg, currently Chief Policy Advisor at Subhanjali and former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, writes that the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ) appears to find no substance in Chakraborty’s claims, noting, “It is clear the RBI sees no merit in Atanu Chakraborty’s wild and vague assertions.”

Search This Blog