Manhole death: Former vice prez granddaughter on the run
- Lakshmi Devi , former VP of India's granddaughter on the run following manual scavenging case.
- The youths agreed for Rs 300 to clean septic tank.
- The police had registered a false case and had given a bail to accuse persons.
- Karnataka Safai Karmachari Commission took the police to task and made them to register negligent and murder charges.
- This is 11 incident of manual scavenging death in Karnataka so far.
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In a shocking incident, youth who collapsed in blocked septic tank at Whitefield which belongs to former vice president BD Jatti's granddaughter's villa was reportedly being botched up by Varthur police by registering a false case.
The incident had happened on May 24 when Prabhu and Nagaraj and Murali the agents who take up contract to clean septic tanks and manholes, asked 24 year old Prithiviraj and two of his friends to clean the blocked manhole.
The For all the tree workers, the agents agreed to pay Rs 300 after the work. Prithiviraj got inside the tank and due to septic, he fell unconscious and collapsed. The other workers Dinesh and Raju who were helping Prithviraj also fell on the ground. The agents admitted them in private hospital and on May 30, the Prithviraj succumbed to the infection.
Dwarak Maiye Villa a gated community belongs to Lakshmi Devi who is a grand daughter of Former Vice President. This is third time the cleaning of septic tank was taken up and every time, humans were made to clean the tank with hands. After the incident, Varthur Police has registered a case of 'incident' and all the people responsible for the manual scavenging practice obtained bail on same day.
"After the death, the issue became serious and with intervention from Karnataka safai karmachari commission, a case under IPC section 31 (J) 1989 and Manual Scavenging and Rehabilitation Act 2013, IPC section 304 have been registered. Fearing arrest and punishment of 5 years, the accused persons including the Lakshmi Devi are absconding," Said MR Venkatesh, Chairperson, Karnataka Safai Karmachari Commission
Obalesh K.B from Safai Karmachari Kaval Samithi, a watchdog organisation lashed at the police for trying to hush-up the case by tweaking and registering the act as 'incident'. This is not the first case, what is worst is even educated persons want the work at low cost and hence use vulnerable coolies and workers as scavengers to clean septic tank.
"The irony is that, even the police are now aware of any such rules pertaining to manual scavenging. Had we not taken up the case, the owners and agents would have settled the matter," said Obalesh.
The owner tried to buy the mercy from the act by saying that she had spent Rs 6.5 lakhs on treatment and she did that on humanitarian grounds, but this act of "generosity" was to hush-up the case and escape the arrest.
"Had the owners of villa used a sewage jetting machine, the life would have been saved. Now no compensation can bring back a life that was snuffed out in killer hole. Rs 8.25 lakhs will be given to victim's family and a government job for one of the family member has been recommended by the commission. Under Manual Scavenging and Rehabilitation Act, the victim's family will get additional Rs 10 lakh.
