#STOPKILLINGUS
@ Jantar Mantar, 25th March, 2025 at 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK-
We, the Safai Karmachari Andolan are deeply pained and distressed at the continuing practice of manual scavenging in India. We are gathering from across the country to raise our voice in protest against the absolute insensitivity of the government to the situation of the safai Karmacharis trapped in the cycle of discrimination and untouchability of manual scavenging. The government has turned its back on the Safai Karmacharis and refusing to see our struggle against the forces of caste and untouchability.
Even though there is such rapid progress of infrastructure, science and technology in the country, many states are still using dry latrines and employing safai Karmachari women to clean the dry latrines.
There are dry latrines in 36 districts in the states of UP, MP, Bihar, Jharkhand & J & K
Just in the last five years 419 safai Karmacharis have been reported as killed in sewer and septic tanks.
The GOI has claimed spending thousands of crores of rupees to enhance the sanitation infrastructure and mechanization of sewerage work. The GOI claims to have spent more than 55000 crores rupees to build more than 110 million toilets across the country in rural and urban areas. Then why are there still dry latrines and why are our women still forced into manual scavenging and cleaning dry latrines in addition to cleaning open drains, railway tracks, open defecation and insanitary latrines.
The Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) has been replaced by the National Action For Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) from 2023-24 with a Rs 97.41 crore allocation. Around 3 4,800 Urban Local Bodies are to be covered to benefit about one lakh sewers and septic tank workers with the budgetary outlay of Rs 350 crore during the next three years up to 2025-26. Then why are our people still getting killed in sewer and septic tanks even today. Just last week on 16th March 2025, three persons were forced to enter a manhole by the Delhi Jal Board in New Friends Colony and one person was killed. The other two persons are battling for their lives in the hospital.
The minister for social justice and empowerment and the GOI continue to be in denial of the continuing practice of manual scavenging, prevalence of dry latrines and sewerage deaths. The minister repeatedly reports to the parliament that there is no manual scavenging in the country. This is absolutely shameful and a violence against the safai Karmachari community.
The government is repeatedly and deliberately fudging data on sewerage workers deaths. Why is the government making such false and misleading statements? How will we stop this atrocity of manual scavenging and deaths in sewer and septic tanks if the government that is responsible to protect us is only interested in protecting the perpetrators of these caste atrocities?
We the Safai Karmachari Andolan will gather at Jantar Mantar on 25th March 2025 at 11 am to protest against the persistence of the caste atrocity of manual scavenging and sewerage deaths and raise our voice to STOP KILLING US!
Please come and be a witness to the truth of manual scavenging in this country.
JAI BHIM
—
Bezwada Wilson
National Convenor
Safai Karmchari Andolan,
