NHRC sends for official in death of sewer cleaner

NEW DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission on Thursday (NHRC) summoned Delhi government’s urban development secretary in a case of death of a sanitation worker who died while sewer cleaning.

According to the NHRC, having not received requisite reports and the proof of payment of Rs 10 lakh in a case of death during sewer cleaning, summons were issued to the officials to appear before the Commissiom in person with the requisite reports.

The incident had happened in Vaishali Extension, Dabri in 2018 and the Commission had registered the case on the basis of a complaint by Safai Karamchari Aandolan, an NGO. “The Commission, issuing the conditional summons, has observed that there has already been an inordinate delay in the matter as no response has been received from the Govt of NCT of Delhi on the pointers raised by it,” said a statement from the human rights body.

It has further emphasized that non-submission of the report may attract an offence under the Civil Procedure Code. In case, the report is received in the Commission a week prior to the scheduled date, the personal appearance of the officer shall stand dispensed with. According to the complaint, the sanitation worker had died due to inhaling poisonous gas.