Man dies cleaning sewer in Ashok Vihar, three others critical

A 40-year-old man died and three others were hospitalised in critical condition after losing consciousness while manually cleaning a sewer in northwest Delhi’s Ashok Vihar, an official said on Wednesday.

The incident took place around 11.30 pm near Harihar Apartments in Ashok Vihar, Phase-II. According to the police, the victims were engaged in sewer cleaning work when one person fell inside. The others went in to help and also fell.

Bystanders who witnessed the incident immediately rushed to the scene, entered the sewer and managed to pull the victims out.

“The deceased has been identified as Arvind, a resident of Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh. He was rushed to Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. The three others - Sonu and Narayan, both from Kasganj, and Naresh from Bihar - have been admitted to the ICU in a drowsy state. Their condition remains serious,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (northwest) Bhisham Singh said.

Recounting the sequence of events, Narayan, one of the victims’ co-workers, said: “We had set up a pump because the sewer water was overflowing. One of the boys went down but slipped and fell. The second one went in to help him and fell too. The third person went down and fell as well. A passerby on the road helped us tie a rope, and he managed to pull them out. After assisting, he left on his motorcycle. The incident happened around 11 or 11:30 pm.”

He alleged that no safety equipment was provided by the company for this work. “Usually, we receive gas masks and other protective gear, but this time we got nothing,” he said.

The police said the men were hired by a construction company that has been conducting sewer operations in the area for the past several days. A crime team inspected the site, and the manager of the company has been summoned for questioning.

“Based on preliminary findings, a case has been registered under Sections 106(1) (causing death by negligence), 289 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 337 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 7 and 9 of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013,” an official said.