End manual scavenging, say safai workers

The Safai Karamchari Andolan protested in Delhi, demanding an end to manual scavenging, better safety, and recognition of caste-based violence.

The Safai Karamchari Andolan (SKA) on Wednesday held a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding an end to manual scavenging, its recognition as a caste-based practice, and strict implementation of the 2013 prohibition law and a 2014 Supreme Court judgment.

Sanitation workers from multiple states said they are forced into the work due to caste identity and lack basic safety gear while handling hazardous sewage. (Sanchit Khanna/ Hindustan Times)

Sanitation workers from multiple states said they are forced into the work due to caste identity and lack basic safety gear while handling hazardous sewage. Protesters alleged underreporting of deaths, with SKA claiming higher fatalities than official figures in recent years. Families of deceased workers also sought compensation and rehabilitation.

Sanitation workers from states across the country had gathered at jantar mantar, including Rajasthan, Utttakahand, Punjab, Mumbai, Chennai, and Haryana, along with those living in Delhi. Workers stated that they were forced to take up manual scavenging due to their caste identity and lack basic safety gear while handling hazardous sewage. “We do not get anything to protect us when we enter the sewers, which are full of poisonous gas. I am only paid ₹25000 per month, which is not even barely enough,” said 30-year-old sanitary worker Sunil Kumar, from Punjab.

“Everytime I go out for work, my wife is worried that I might not return, and many sanitation workers that I knew have died. We have come here today to demand that manual scavenging be permanently banned,” said Vijay, 34, a sanitation worker from Rajasthan, who reported earning ₹8,000 per month, while others stated that they were not paid at all.

Workers could be seen holding placards stating “stop killing us”, “educate, agitate, organise”, listing the number of deaths that had occurred due to manual scavenging in the past three years.

SKA leaders accused the central government of continuously misrepresenting the number of deaths which occur dur to manual scavenging.

“On 19 March, the Ministry of social justice and empowerment made the shocking and callous claim that there are no deaths due to manual scavenging. This is not just denial. It is a deliberate erasure of our lives. There is a glaring and unacceptable gap between the deaths that have occurred and the numbers reported to the Parliament. In 2023, we documented 102 deaths, the ministry reported only 65 to the parliament. In 2024, we recorded 116 deaths, but the official figure dropped to 54. In 2025, SKA recorded 121 deaths but the ministry reduced the numbers to 46. This year, 41 persons have already been killed inside sewers and septic tanks. This is a systemic erasure of Dalit lives. The Minister’s statement that this is ‘occupation based and not caste based’ is a deliberate attempt to deny social justice. These deaths are not accidents; they are the direct result of caste-based violence,” said the group in a statement.

“The Prime Minister must issue a national apology. Unless the country apologises to us, we will not go back on our demands,” said Deepti Sukumar, 64, part of SKA’s core member team.

The group stated that aside from the 2013 act, they also wanted the implementation of the 2014 supreme court judgement against manual scavenging.

The event also saw participation from family members of deceased sanitary workers.

Rajkumar Bohat, 49, the SKA Haryana state convenor, said that there were many similar cases across the country. “We go to the local authorities and government many times with our data, but they do not take any action.”