Contractor held for 2 labourers’ deaths

Surat: Police detained Jogaram Sen, a contractor, on Tuesday in the death of two labourers who died of suffocation after they were made to enter a manhole without safety gears. The accused will be arrested after Covid-19 test.
In the incident, Momsing alias Jumsing Ratna Amaliyar (45) and Jayendra Khuna Amaliyar (28) died due to suffocation on Monday afternoon. They had entered 15 feet in the storm water drainage manhole and fainted. The complaint was lodged by Anil Amliyar, son of Momsing.
The accused has been booked for culpable homicide under Indian Penal Code along with sections of The Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act.
The investigation has been handed over to R K Zala, assistant commissioner of police, SC/ST Cell.
“The accused has been detained and he will be arrested after Covid-19 test. So far the role of no other accused has been found in the incident,” said a police officer.
Suffocation is confirmed as the reason in the preliminary post-mortem report. Police are investigating that under what circumstances the accused did not provide safety gears to the deceased. It is also a matter of investigation whether the work was being done under the supervision of civic officials.