By Express News Service BENGALURU: A 22-year-old labourer suffocated to death while another is critical after they got down to clean a septic tank located in Ganesh Bagh Jain Stanak in Shivajinagar on Saturday morning. The contractor fled soon after the death came to his notice. The deceased has been identified as Siddanna, a native of Siraguppa in Ballari district. The other worker, Muniyanna (55), is being treated in the Intensive Care Unit at Bowring Hospital. ‘No safety measures taken to clean septic tank’ A senior police officer from Commercial Street police station said the incident took place around 11.30 am and three people were engaged in cleaning the tank, which was about 20 feet deep and filled with sewage. Siddanna suffocated due to the stench while Muniyanna, who tried to rescue him, also fell unconscious. The other person, who was supervising the work, ran away from the spot. The staff of Ganesh Bagh called the fire and emergency services personnel who brought out the duo. The fire department officials said, it was already late when they were alerted about the mishap. “We received a call around 12pm. Siddanna’s body was shifted to Bowring hospital while Muniyanna was also rushed there. There were no safety measures taken when they were cleaning tank and they did not have proper equipment to clear the sewage. The duo was forced to get inside the tank,” an officer said. Preliminary investigations revealed that Sudarshan, one of the trustees, had called the labourers to clean the tank and was waiting for them since 9.30 am. They reached around 11 am and by the time they started the work, Sudarshan left the place. Activist Narasimha Murthy has filed a complaint with the police. The family of Siddanna has recorded their statements with the police. A case has been registered against the trustees of Ganesh Bagh under IPC 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and further investigations are on.

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