Three workers from Dalit communities died from methane gas poisoning while cleaning the sewage tank of a dyeing factory in Karaipudur, Tiruppur, in Tamil Nadu on May 19th and 20th, while a fourth worker is receiving treatment in a private hospital.
The workers—Hari Krishnan (27), Venugopal (30), Saravanan (30), and the fourth worker Chinnasamy (36)—all hailing from Sundamedu in Tiruppur, collapsed from inhalation of toxic methane gas within seconds of entering the seven-foot-deep sewage tank without being given any safety gear.
They were pulled out and rushed to the hospital by co-workers, where Saravanan and Venugopal were pronounced dead upon arrival.
Hari Krishnan died the next day, having succumbed to his injuries.
A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against the owner of Aalaya Dyeing Mills – Naveen, the manager Dhanabal, supervisor Balasubramaniam, and vehicle owner Chinnasamy.
The accused have been booked under Sections 125A (endangering life) and 106(1) (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Section 3(2)(v) (serious offences) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and Section 9 of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, which prohibits the engagement of anyone for the cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.
The factory agreed to pay a compensation of ₹30 lakhs to the families of the deceased in the peace committee meeting held on May 20th under the supervision of Revenue Officer Karthikeyan, following the Supreme Court order in October 2023 to increase compensation for manual scavenging deaths from ₹10 lakhs to ₹30 lakhs.
Despite Supreme Court bans on manual scavenging, a traditionally caste-based occupation, it continues to be practiced throughout the country, claiming the lives of many workers every year.
According to data from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, there were 419 deaths from manual scavenging in 2024 alone, with Tamil Nadu accounting for 67 of those, recording the highest number of manual scavenging fatalities, while many claim this to be an undercount.
Seventy-seven percent of manual scavengers are from Scheduled Caste communities.
These workers are severely underpaid, subjected to caste atrocities, and given no safety equipment. Moreover, the perpetrators are left unpunished.
