Safai karmacharis demand end to 'sewer killings', accountability from government

By A Representative 

Hundreds of Safai Karmacharis from ten states, alongside family members of those who lost their lives in sewer and septic tank accidents, and human rights activists, gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi today to demand an immediate end to the ongoing deaths of sanitation workers across the country. The protest, organised by Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), saw participants stage a dharna while calling out what they termed the government’s “silence and complicity” in the face of a continuing crisis.

During the programme, a formal letter of demands addressed to the Prime Minister was released, urging swift action to prevent further fatalities. The protesters carried placards bearing the names of victims and chanted slogans demanding justice, accountability, and the eradication of manual scavenging.

Address the gathering, Bezwada Wilson, National Convenor of SKA, expressed anguish over what he described as the government’s failure to protect sanitation workers. Citing SKA’s independent data, he reiterated that one person is killed every second day in sewers and septic tanks, accusing the government of deliberately manipulating official figures to downplay the scale of the crisis.

“While the government boasts of development and India’s economic growth, those who clean our sewers continue to die with impunity,” Wilson said. “Instead of preventing these deaths, the government’s only effort seems to be in hiding the truth. This is not just negligence—it is a matter of national shame.”

According to SKA, the disparity between recorded and official deaths remains stark. The organisation documented 121 deaths in sewers and septic tanks in 2025, compared to the government’s reported figure of 46. In 2024, SKA recorded 116 deaths against the government’s 55, and in 2023, 102 deaths against the government’s 65. Protesters pointed out that even in the first three months of 2026, 41 deaths have already been recorded.

The demonstrators also drew attention to the continued practice of manual scavenging in dry latrines across Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Jammu and Kashmir. SKA activists alleged that despite legal prohibitions, Dalit communities—particularly women—remain trapped in this degrading and inhuman work. They accused government ministers of repeatedly making false claims in Parliament about the eradication of manual scavenging, calling such statements a denial of lived realities.

“For 40 years, we have been fighting this atrocity. Today, we have raised our voices once again,” Wilson added. “The Prime Minister must acknowledge this failure and issue a national apology. The time for empty assurances is over.”

The protest concluded peacefully with organisers stating that the movement would continue until concrete action is taken to end sewer deaths and manual scavenging, and until justice is delivered to the families of victims.