Narayana, a 37-year-old who worked for the Maddur Town Municipal Corporation as a sweeper alleged harassment from officials, who had earlier forced him into a manual scavenging job and were facing an enquiry for the same.

According to a reports, Narayana had been forced to clean a sewage manhole with his bare hands on 2 November 2020. The incident had attracted media attention and had lead to an enquiry against the officials responsible.

However, according to Narayana`s account, these officers had been pressuring him to state that he entered the manhole without any safety gear by choice.

Narayana has named several top-ranking officials in the municipality, including the body`s president Sureshkumar, chief officer Murugesh and health inspector Ghasim Khan in his suicide note.

Besides Sureshkumar, Narayana named chief officer Murugesh and health inspector Ghasim Khan in his note. Maddur police have registered a case under provisions of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and for abetment of suicide.

New Rule for Manual Scavenging

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday suggested to the State government to consider issuing a general direction to all authorities and agencies and instrumentalities of the state for implementation of Rule 3, of The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Rules, 2013. The rule states that no person shall be allowed to clean a sewer manually, with protective gear and safety devices, with a few exceptions.

Rule 3 reads thus:

3. (1) No person shall be allowed to clean a sewer manually, with protective gear and safety devices under these rules except :-

(a) for the removal of concrete or FRP (Fibre Reinforced Plastic) or damaged manhole door where mechanical equipment cannot be put into operation.

(b) for inter-linking the newly laid sewer main with the existing sewer main, in case of sewer of size of more than 300 mm diameter.

(c) for removal of submersible pump sets fixed at the bottom of the suction wells.

(d) for the reconstruction of the manhole or rectification of the sewer main.

(2) For the purposes of clauses (c) and (d) of sub-rule (1), before allowing entry of a person in the sewer, sewage shall be totally emptied.

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