Manual scavenging deaths: KMC contractor arrested

The police will investigate why the individual exploited the poverty and ignorance of three men about the risks associated with scavenging and manual cleaning drain pipes

- SNS & AGENCIES

A contractor was arrested last night for the tragic incident on the outskirts of Kolkata, in which three workers lost their lives while cleaning a manhole at the Bantala Leather Complex.

The police have arrested contractor Alimuddin Sheikh, who had brought the three labourers to Kolkata for work.

According to the victims' families, it was Sheikh who assigned them the hazardous task of cleaning the manhole without proper safety measures. On Sunday night, Kolkata Leather Complex police arrested him in connection with the deaths.

Sheikh is a contractor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). The three had been engaged for scavenging and manual cleaning of a sewerage drain pipe within Bantala leather complex on the eastern outskirts of the city.