Delhi sanitation workers' death: Police files culpable homicide case, jal board denies hiring them

New Delhi: The Delhi police on Monday filed a culpable homicide case after the tragic death of three sanitation workers. The Delhi Jal Board, on the other hand, has denied that the cleaners were hired by them for the job.

"They were not our staff. However, we have ordered a probe to find out how these men entered the sewer without authorisation," a DJB official told PTI. 

The incident took place yesterday at around 1 PM when the workers reportedly hired by Delhi Jal Board were cleaning a sewer line in Lajpat Nagar near the Kabir Ram temple. If reports are to be belived, They had gone inside the sewer  inhaled toxic fumes and were later found unconscious there.

The workers were immediately rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre where the doctors declared them brought dead. Two of the deceased were identified as Joginder (32) and Annu (28), while the identity of the third victim was yet to be ascertained, police said.

Following the incident, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari slammed the Delhi government over the deaths and asked Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal for a probe into the incident.

Earlier in July,  four sanitation workers died when they had entered a septic tank to clean it in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj. As per the reports, they too had inhaled toxic gases inside the tank. Two persons were arrested in connection with the deaths.

(With inputs from agencies)