NHRC Steps in 4 Days After Toxic Sewage Kills Three Workers in Ludhiana

New Delhi/Ludhiana-  The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India has taken suo motu cognizance of a horrific industrial tragedy in Ludhiana district, Punjab, where three men died and two others were critically injured after inhaling toxic fumes while manually cleaning a chemical waste sewage line inside a factory.

The Commission has issued notices to the Punjab Chief Secretary and the Ludhiana Police Commissioner, calling for a detailed report within two weeks. The NHRC observed that the contents of media reports, if true, “raise serious issues of human rights violations.” The demanded report is expected to include the status of the criminal investigation, the current health status of the injured survivors, and details of any compensation announced by the government for the families of the deceased.

 The incident occurred in the early hours of June 1 at M/S Deeps Tools, a hand tools manufacturing factory located on RK Road in the Industrial Area-A of Ludhiana .

The factory management had hired workers to manually clear a blocked sewage system used for disposing of highly toxic chemical waste from an electroplating unit. Preliminary investigations suggest that the men entered the sewer line and opened the lid of a 10,000-liter chemical tank around 2:30 AM. Almost immediately, they were overwhelmed by poisonous gases due to a lack of basic safety equipment or protective gear.

The three deceased workers have been identified as Maan Singh (46), his son Amit Kumar (24), residents of Gyaspura and ShriRam, another worker whose family resides in Uttar Pradesh. The father-son duo was reportedly hired specifically to clean the chemical disposal tank. Their bodies were handed over to the grieving family after autopsies at a local hospital on June 2. Doctors have preserved viscera samples for chemical analysis at the forensic lab in Mohali to confirm the exact cause of death. Shri Ram, a factory worker who was part of the assisting team.

The two injured workers, who were assisting the cleaning process from outside the tank, have been identified as Deepak Kumar and Rajender Kumar. They lost consciousness due to the toxic fumes but were rushed to a hospital. According to the latest updates, their condition is currently stated to be stable.

Gross Negligence

The incident has sparked outrage, with the victims' families alleging criminal apathy on the part of the factory owner, Rajdeep Jain.

• Lack of Safety Gear: Police confirmed that the men were asked to handle chemical waste and clean the tank manually without any safety kits or protective equipment .

• Delayed Reporting: While the gas leak occurred at approximately 2:30 AM, the factory management allegedly did not inform the police. It took a social worker and the worried families arriving at the factory at 7:30 AM to discover the truth. The injured were reportedly only taken to Mohan Dai Oswal Hospital around 4:00 AM, by which time three had already died .

• Family's Anguish: Maan Singh’s daughter, Renu, told reporters, "They used my father and brother and threw them away like dead dogs." The family stated that Maan Singh leaves behind aged parents, a wife, and four daughters, while Amit leaves behind a wife and a young daughter.

Ludhiana Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma confirmed that an FIR has been registered against the factory management at Moti Nagar police station under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder (relating to causing death by negligence). The complainant is Ram Lal (71), the father of deceased Maan Singh.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Industrial Area) Inderjit Singh said that while the case has been registered, no arrests have been made yet as the investigation into the sequence of events and specific violations continues .

The NHRC has sought a response from the authorities within two weeks, directing them to detail the status of the probe and the health of the injured workers.