Legal Spotlight on Municipal Lapses: NHRC Probes Deaths of Sanitation Workers in Tamil Nadu
(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)
Delhi, September 29,2025-The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India has Suo motu taken cognizance of the tragic death of two sanitation workers who reportedly succumbed to asphyxiation on September 22, 2025, while engaged in work within a newly constructed underground drainage pipeline in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. The Commission has issued notices to the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation and the Superintendent of Police, Tiruchirappalli, directing them to submit a comprehensive report within two weeks. This report is mandated to detail the status of the investigation and provide information on any compensation disbursed to the families of the deceased. The deceased workers were employed by a construction firm undertaking the drainage project near Carmel Garden in the Muthunagar area of Tiruverumbur, Tiruchirappalli district.
Notice has been issued by Justice V. Ramasubramanian, Chairman of the NHRC.
The Commission has observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise a serious issue of human rights violation. Therefore, it has issued notices to the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation and Superintendent of Police, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks. It is expected to include the status of the investigation and compensation, if any, paid to the next of kin of the deceased workers.
According to the media report carried out on 23rd September, 2025, there was no clarity whether the victim workers were given proper safety gear or not.
