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.

Comments

Beyond India-China borders: Economic links expand, political gaps persist

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* Despite growing trade between India and China, a persistent trust deficit continues to shape their bilateral relationship. Expanding economic engagement has not fully resolved political differences, many of which stem from historical legacies as well as contemporary geopolitical concerns. Border disputes—often traced to colonial-era arrangements—remain a significant obstacle to deeper cooperation, while differing strategic alignments in global affairs add further complexity.

GreenTech Summit claims NCR as key green building hub, without pan-India comparison

By A Representative The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), under the Confederation of Indian Industry, held its GreenTech Summit 2026 in New Delhi, where industry representatives, policymakers and sustainability professionals discussed the adoption of climate technologies in India’s built environment.

Gujarat cadre to HDFC: When bureaucratic style hits corporate walls

By Rajiv Shah I was a little amused by the abrupt March 17, 2026 resignation of Atanu Chakraborty —a Gujarat cadre IAS officer of the 1985 batch who retired from the government in 2020—as chairman of HDFC Bank . Much of what may have led to his decision to quit this ostensibly high post—actually a non-executive, part-time role—is by now well known. I followed most of it online with considerable interest, partly because I had interacted with him umpteen times during my stint as The Times of India correspondent in Gandhinagar from 1997 to 2012.

Operation Epic Fury: Making America great at the world’s expense?

By N.S. Venkataraman* The decades-long enmity between Iran and Israel is well-documented, but historically, their direct confrontations have been brief, constrained by the logistical and economic limitations of sustained warfare. The current conflict in the Middle East, however, marks a radical and dangerous departure from this pattern.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

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.

India has been getting its economic growth wrong for two decades, say top economists

By Jag Jivan* India's official GDP figures have misrepresented the trajectory of the world's fifth-largest economy for the better part of two decades, according to a major new working paper published by the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE). It finds that India overstated annual growth by up to two percentage points after 2011 — and understated it during the boom years of the 2000s.

'Tax the top': Nationwide protests demand action as 1% control 40% of India’s wealth

By A Representative Civil rights groups across the country observed the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh on March 23, as people from diverse backgrounds united to raise their voices against growing economic inequality. The mobilisations marked the launch of a nationwide campaign against inequality, running from March 23 to April 14 (Ambedkar Jayanti), under the banner of the “Tax The Top” campaign.

Beyond the election manifesto: Why climate is now a kitchen table issue

By Vikas Meshram* March has long been a month of gentle transition, the period when winter softly retreats and a mild warmth signals nature’s renewal. Yet, in recent years, this dependable rhythm has been disrupted. This year, since the beginning of March, temperatures across vast swathes of the country have shattered previous records, soaring to between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius in some regions. This is not a mere fluctuation in the weather; it is a serious and alarming indicator of climate change .

Search This Blog