CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) has directed the Tirupur District Collector and the Tirupur Corporation Commissioner to submit a detailed report by June 19 on an incident in which a cleanliness worker was forced to manually remove human excreta with bare hands at a public toilet.
The commission took suo-motu cognisance of the matter following reports and videos circulating on social media that purportedly showed a cleanliness worker engaged in manual scavenging prohibited under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
The issue is that Chandran, a cleanliness worker, was made to remove human waste with his bare hands at a public toilet located at the Kumaran Bus Terminus in Kovilvazhi on Dharapuram Road, under Ward 60 of the Tirupur Corporation, on June 1. It is said that he was assigned the task without safety equipment such as gloves, masks or other protective gear.
The incident triggered widespread criticism, with several organisations and activists demanding action against Sanitary Inspector Ramakrishnan and Supervisor Gopal under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
In its order, the commission observed that the incident raised serious concerns regarding the safety and welfare of cleanliness workers.
"A thorough inquiry into the incident should be conducted, including whether adequate safety equipment was provided to cleanliness workers, and the District Collector and Corporation Commissioner should submit a comprehensive report on or before June 19," said a directive issued by commission members S Selvakumar and M Pondass.