Manual scavengers vent ire, seek redressal

NEW DELHI: On the eve of Dr Ambedkar's 125th anniversary, a band of young men and women drove into the national capital after a long bus journey lasting 125 days crisscrossing nearly 500 districts across the country. The group is made up of manual scavengers and their children and they were on a macabre mission "Stop Killing Us". They want strong measures to end manual scavenging which has taken over 1,327 lives in the past couple of years.

Led by the Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), the travelers are highlighting the unconstitutional, illegal, and existing practice of manual scavenging - cleaning of toilets and septic tanks by manual workers belonging to one of the most oppressed scheduled castes.

Although specifically banned by a law passed in 2003 manual scavenging continues with Census 2011 estimating that nearly 8 lakh people were involved in it. In 2014, the Supreme Court ordered for swift measures to end the system.

SKA alleges that despite the orders, nothing has changed and over 1,300 people have died in septic tanks or sewers while doing this job. Cleaning septic tanks requires descending into the tank filled with noxious gases, with no protective gear. Often the worker has to completely submerge in the tank to ensure clearance.

Bezwada Wilson of the SKA said that mainstream political parties are vying with each other to appropriate Dr Ambedkar's legacy. "Unless they recognise that the deaths that occur in sewers and septic tanks are not accidents but political murder, we do not think they have the right to project themselves as defenders of the rights of Dalits and highly marginalised communities such as manual scavengers," he said.

The 3,000 km long journey, dubbed Bhim Yatra, was undertaken to meet manual scavengers, sanitation workers and their families in various parts of the country, record their grievances and motivate them to reject the practice.

At a public hearing held at Jantar Mantar, several workers spoke of their experiences and tragedies. Kapil from Ghaziabad said that five of his family members, including his father, died in 2003 while cleaning a septic tank.

"I have been to all 30 states in the last 125 days and manual scavenging and sewer deaths exist everywhere," said Mohana Priya, a Bhim Yatri.