Kolkata Police arrest contractor after 3 workers die in sewage line

The police on Monday arrested a contractor in connection with the death of three wage labourers while they were cleaning an underground sewage line at the Kolkata Leather Complex on Sunday.

“Alimuddin Sheikh, who hired labourers from various districts for such jobs, has been arrested and taken to Baruipur court. He hired the three men who died,” a Kolkata police official said requesting anonymity.

The incident took place after one man fell ill after going down a manhole on a road for cleaning. The other two went down to rescue him. The deceased were identified as Suman Sardar, Farzam Sheikh and Sheikh Hashibur.

A case was registered at Bantala police station after Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim rushed to the spot and ordered an inquiry.

The incident happened four days after the Supreme Court banned manual scavenging and manual sewer cleaning in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Rescue workers put on diving gear and went down the 10-feet deep manhole to recover the bodies.

Talking to the media on Sunday, Hakim said, “The men died because waste from the tanneries, which contains various chemicals, was flowing through the common drainage line. The waste is supposed to be sent to the effluent treatment plant. The local Bantala police station will investigate this.”

“The police will inquire why these men were sent down the manhole and why pumps were not used. Nobody will be spared,” Hakim said.

The 1,150-acre leather complex, which is said to be the biggest in Asia, houses around 500 tanneries and leather goods manufacturers.