New Delhi- Just a stone's throw away from the country's Parliament, hundreds of sanitation workers gathered at Jantar Mantar once again, raising slogans that echoed their anguish - "Stop Killing Us," "Stop Deaths in Sewers and Septic Tanks," and "PM Apologise to the Nation." Called by the Safai Karamchari Andolan (SKA), the protesters came from approximately 10 states on March 25, to express their pain and demand justice for the continued deaths of sanitation workers engaged in hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.
The protest was organized to demand an immediate halt to the killings of Indian citizens in sewers and septic tanks, along with a time-bound action plan from the government to address the issue.
National convenor of Safai Karamchari Andolan and Ramon Magsaysay awardee Bezwada Wilson addressed the gathering, stating that 41 people have already lost their lives this year in sewers and septic tanks. He criticized the government for what he called a "muted silence," as if these lives did not matter.
"Casteist mindsets prevalent in the society force people to go down the gutters of death," Wilson said. "No one is held accountable or punished for these killings, despite this being illegal as per law."
SKA leader Deepthi Sukumar questioned the government's attempts to conceal the actual number of deaths taking place in sewers and septic tanks. Citing SKA's own documentation, she highlighted a glaring discrepancy between the deaths recorded by the organization and those reported by the government.
"In 2025, a total of 121 people died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks as per SKA data, but the government registered just 46 deaths," Sukumar said. "Similarly, in 2024, the death figure was 116, but the government recorded only 55 deaths. Where are the remaining people who were killed? The government should present the actual figures in Parliament."
Several family members of those who lost their lives while cleaning sewers joined the protest and recounted their traumatic experiences. They urged the government to immediately put a stop to such killings.
SKA leaders from various states including Lovjinder Kaur, Seema Khairwal, Neelam, Poonam, Aanchal, Puja, Usha Sagar, Raj Valmiki, Rajkumar, Subhash, Amar Singh, Prakash, and Mayank also addressed the gathering. They spoke about the casteist and patriarchal mindsets of local administrations in dealing with such issues, alleging that victims' families are neither given proper compensation nor justice.
The protesters submitted a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister, outlining their demands and highlighting the systemic failure of the government to address the crisis. The memorandum began by reminding the Prime Minister that exactly one year earlier, on March 25, 2025, hundreds of safai karamcharis had gathered at Jantar Mantar with similar demands for the Right to Life with dignity. It stated that despite repeated submissions, there had been "no assurance, no protection, and no change."
The memorandum sharply criticized the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for its statement made on March 19, claiming that there were "no deaths due to manual scavenging." SKA called this a "shocking and callous claim" and a "deliberate erasure" of Dalit lives.
The memorandum presented a stark comparison of data to expose what SKA called a "systemic erasure of Dalit lives":
In 2023, SKA documented 102 deaths, while the minister reported only 65 to Parliament.
In 2024, SKA recorded 116 deaths, but the official figure was reduced to 54.
In 2025, SKA recorded 121 deaths, while the ministry reported merely 46.
In the first three months of 2026, 41 persons have already been killed inside sewers and septic tanks.
The memorandum emphasized that those killed in this brutal and dehumanizing work are Dalits. It strongly condemned the Minister's statement that this was "occupation-based" and not "caste-based," calling it a deliberate attempt to deny social justice to a historically oppressed and excluded community.
"These deaths are not accidents," the memorandum read. "They are the direct result of caste-based violence, sanctioned through neglect, denial, and inaction. Yet, the government has shown neither remorse nor urgency. Instead, our deaths are reduced to numbers, manipulated and minimized, to deny us our most fundamental right- the right to life."
The memorandum demanded that the Prime Minister apologize to the nation for what SKA called "centuries-old caste oppression." It also demanded that the government declare a time-bound action plan to:
1. Put an end to deaths in sewers and septic tanks
2. Ensure the complete eradication of the practice of manual scavenging
3. Provide rehabilitation for those involved in the occupation
The memorandum further noted that dry latrines continue to exist across districts in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Jammu & Kashmir, where Dalit women are still forced into manual scavenging. It stated that the schemes of mechanization and modernization announced by the government have failed to dismantle the caste structures that bind Dalits to this work.
"Our youth continue to die inside sewers and septic tanks, without any safety, dignity, or accountability," the memorandum concluded.
The gathering at Jantar Mantar saw hundreds of sanitation workers and their families standing in solidarity, demanding justice and accountability. Leaders from SKA made it clear that the agitation would continue until the government takes concrete steps to address the issue and ensures that no more lives are lost to this hazardous and dehumanizing practice.
You can also join our WhatsApp group to get premium and selected news of The Mooknayak on WhatsApp. Click here to join the WhatsApp group.