Cleaner loses fingers in sewage tank accident in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A contract worker lost all four fingers on his left hand when it got sucked into a vacuum pump last Friday at the Central Industrial Security Force camp in south Delhi’s Mahipalpur. He had gone into a sewage tank to clear it of waste with a vacuum pump, but an electrician switched on the machine without informing him.
A case was registered on Monday under sections in the Indian Penal Code dealing with negligent conduct with respect to machinery (Section 287) and causing hurt (337), according to Devender Arya, DCP (southwest). Police said on Wednesday that Vinod, the victim, has accused the electrician, named Upender, of negligence and the cops are tracking the latter. Having recorded the statement of the eyewitnesses, police are also investigating if there is foul play involved in the incident.

Vinod, a resident of Rangpuri, earns a living as a contractual labour. He told the cops that he was offered the assignment of cleaning the sewage tank at the CISF camp in Mahipalpur and the payment for the task was dependent on the hours it would take to complete the job.

“My friend Rajesh had told me about the job on Friday afternoon. After reaching the place, I stepped into the septic tank in the basement of a building in the company of another worker,” Vinod said. Upender was manning the vacuum pump from outside the tank.

The 28-year-old told the investigators that Upender left the basement without informing them and switched on the motor of the pump even as the two men were checking the septic tank for leaks and blockages and were working with their hands in the sewage. When the vacuum pump was switched on, Vinod’s hand got sucked into it and the fist got crushed in the suction tube where it was severely injured by the blades.

Vinod screamed for help as he struggled to keep his head above the water. The other worker rushed out of the basement and alerted the people there. The electrician was not at the spot, but when he returned a few minutes later, he was ordered to shut off the machine.

Once the vacuum pump was switched off, the workers rushed to the sewage tank and pulled out Vinod. His left hand was mangled. He was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors found that he had lost all his four fingers and injured his left palm.

Vinod was later taken to Safdarjung Hospital for further treatment and was unable to give his statement that day. After gaining consciousness on Saturday, he contacted the police and informed them about the incident.