BJP leader K. Annamalai has sharply criticised the DMK government following the tragic deaths of two sanitation workers in Trichy, who died of asphyxiation while cleaning a drainage system. In a strongly worded statement on social media, Annamalai questioned the state’s inaction on preventing such avoidable fatalities, asking Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, “How many more deaths will wake you up, Thiru @mkstalin?”
The two deceased Prabhu from Chinna Salem and Ravi from Thiruvappur in Pudukkottai were reportedly contract workers engaged in manual sewer cleaning when they were overcome by toxic gases. Prabhu collapsed first, and Ravi, in a desperate attempt to save him, also lost consciousness. Both were pulled out by firefighters but were declared dead at the hospital. The Thiruverumbur police have registered a case and are currently investigating the incident.
Calling the DMK government a “patchwork model,” Annamalai condemned its continued use of manual labour in hazardous conditions without adequate safety gear, despite manual scavenging being banned under the 2013 Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act. He demanded immediate compensation of ₹40 lakh for each of the bereaved families and accused the government of prioritising publicity over public safety. He also criticised the state administration for failing to adopt robotic alternatives like HomoSEP and Sepoy, developed by IIT Madras to eliminate manual scavenging.
Full statement of K Annamalai read, “How many more deaths will wake you up, Thiru @mkstalin? The tragic death of two sanitation workers in Thiruverumbur, Trichy, due to poisonous gas while cleaning a sewer is deeply shocking. Extending my deepest condolences to their families and urge the DMK government to provide immediate compensation of ₹40 lakhs to each of the bereaved families. Under this patchwork model, publicity-driven DMK Government, TN leads the nation in such avoidable deaths, and continues to deploy workers without even basic protective gear. Nearly 50 lives have been lost in the past three years alone, while the government spends lavishly on publicity instead of safeguarding those at the frontline of public health. IIT Madras students have already developed robots like HomoSEP and Sepoy to eliminate manual scavenging. Why has the DMK government failed to adopt them? TN CM Thiru @mkstalin avl only finds time to build statues and fight legal battles for building statues for his father yet cannot allocate funds to protect sanitation workers.”
The broader context of the criticism comes at the backdrop of national data that highlights the ongoing danger of manual scavenging. Between 2020 and 2024, 294 deaths related to sewer and septic tank cleaning were reported in India, with Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi among the states with the highest numbers. Despite the legal ban, unsafe practices continue to endanger workers’ lives across the country.
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