Sanitation staffer dies 3 days after being beaten up

A 29-year-old sanitation worker succumbed to his injuries at a Moradabad hospital on Friday three days after five men allegedly thrashed him when some drops of disinfectants he was spraying fell on one of them.

A 29-year-old sanitation worker succumbed to his injuries at a Moradabad hospital on Friday three days after five men allegedly thrashed him when some drops of disinfectants he was spraying fell on one of them during a Covid-19 related sanitation drive at Motipura village in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur.

Sanitization and disinfection underway of a premises which is hosting LNJP Hospital staff working in the Covid-19 ward during lockdown, at the Delhi Gujarati Samaj at Rajniwas Marg, in New Delhi, India on Sunday, April 19, 2020. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

Assistant police superintendent Arun Kumar said Kunwarpal, the sanitation worker, was spraying disinfectants when he got into an argument with Motipur resident Indrapal over the disinfectants that fell on him. He added that soon Indrapal’s four friends joined him and assaulted Kunwarpal. “Kunwarpal received serious injuries and was taken to a private hospital by some locals but when his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to... the hospital in Moradabad where he died on April 17 [Friday],” said Kumar. He added the police were investigating the case.

Police said an FIR has been registered against the five accused under sections 147, 323 and 304 of the Indian Penal Code. However, no arrests have been made yet.

Kumar said Kunwarpal’s brother, Harishankar, informed the police about the attack on his sibling on April 14.

Harishankar said the accused also forced his brother to swallow some disinfectants.

Kumar said they were awaiting Kunwarpal’s postmortem report. “We have registered the FIR and action will be taken against the accused based on the findings of the autopsy and investigation,” said Kumar.