{"id":206443,"date":"2026-07-28T19:59:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T14:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/?p=206443"},"modified":"2026-07-28T19:59:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T14:59:20","slug":"rights-body-accuses-modi-govt-of-covering-up-sanitation-workers-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/2026\/07\/28\/rights-body-accuses-modi-govt-of-covering-up-sanitation-workers-deaths.html","title":{"rendered":"Rights body accuses Modi govt of covering up sanitation workers’ deaths"},"content":{"rendered":"
New Delhi: The Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), a leading campaign group working for the rights of sanitation workers in India, has accused the BJP-led Indian government of suppressing the true number of sewer and septic tank deaths by significantly underreporting fatalities in the parliament. The organization said the victims, overwhelmingly drawn from historically marginalized Dalit communities, continue to lose their lives performing hazardous manual sanitation work, while the government seeks to conceal the scale of the crisis.<\/p>\n
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a press release, the organization said 593 sanitation workers died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks between January 2021 and July 2026, whereas the government informed Parliament on July 21 that only 332 such deaths had occurred, leaving 261 fatalities unaccounted for. It said the figures presented by Indian Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale significantly understated the actual death toll.<\/p>\n
SKA said its independent documentation recorded 593 sewer and septic tank deaths during the period, compared with the 332 deaths reported by the government. “The government has covered up and hidden 261 deaths,” it said, describing it as “criminal and shameless” to conceal such a large number of fatalities and render the victims and their families invisible.<\/p>\n
The organization said 113 sanitation workers have already died in sewer and septic tank incidents during the first 207 days of 2026, including 15 deaths in July alone, despite repeated government assurances to eliminate hazardous manual cleaning.<\/p>\n
SKA said it had submitted representations to Members of Parliament urging them to raise what it termed the “manipulation and minimization” of official death data. “It is a matter of national shame that instead of stopping the deaths, the government is only focused on obscuring the truth,” it said.<\/p>\n
The organization urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to acknowledge the government’s failure to prevent sewer and septic tank deaths and take immediate corrective measures.<\/p>\n
Among its key demands, SKA called for the constitution of a Parliamentary Standing Committee inquiry into sewer and septic tank deaths, annual reports to Parliament detailing fatalities, prosecutions, compensation and rehabilitation, and a time-bound national plan to end such deaths.<\/p>\n
In a post on X, SKA National Convener Bezwada Wilson questioned the discrepancy in the official data, asking: “Why is the government hiding 261 sewer and septic tank deaths? There were 593 deaths from January 2021 till date, but the government has reported only 332 sewer and septic tank deaths to Parliament. This injustice can’t be tolerated.” KMS-19S<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi: The Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), a leading campaign group working for the rights of sanitation workers in India, has accused the BJP-led Indian government of suppressing the true number of sewer and septic tank deaths by significantly underreporting fatalities in the parliament. The organization said the victims, overwhelmingly drawn from historically marginalized Dalit …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":206445,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-206443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-india"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
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New Delhi: The Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), a leading campaign group working for the rights of sanitation workers in India, has accused the BJP-led Indian government of suppressing the true number of sewer and septic tank deaths by significantly underreporting fatalities in the parliament. The organization said the victims, overwhelmingly drawn from historically marginalized Dalit communities, continue to lose their lives performing hazardous manual sanitation work, while the government seeks to conceal the scale of the crisis.<\/p>\n