A national panel tasked with safeguarding the interests of sanitation workers has sought a report from the Delhi Police and a municipal body into the death of four men while cleaning a septic tank here last week.
Four sanitation workers had died of asphyxiation while cleaning a septic tank in south Delhi's Ghitorni area on July 15.
The chairman of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) Manhar Valjibhai Zala paid a visit to the spot on Monday and also met the families of the deceased.
He held a meeting with the Delhi Police and officials of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), and sought a report from them.
Zala said the Delhi police has registered a case under various sections of the IPC but the commission has advised it to register the case under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act as the offences under this Act were cognizabe and non-bailable.
"We have also asked the police to take stringent action against the culprits," Zala told PTI.
He said the kin of the deceased were entitled to compensation of Rs ten lakh as ordered by the Supreme Court in its judgement dated March 2014.
Five men had gone down to clean a tank in a household in the area but did not come out for long. They were later pulled out in an unconscious state by fire department personnel after an hour-long operation and were later taken to a hospital.
Four workers, identified as Swarn Singh (45), Dipu (28), Anil (23) and Balwinder (32), were declared as brought dead.
Two men including supervisor of the building Niranjan Singh and Ridhipal were arrested by the police in this connection.
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