Two manual scavengers die in Hyderabad manhole, police inaction alleged

Two migrant labourers were found dead in a manhole at Kapadia Lane in Hyderabad's Sulatanbazar area on Sunday.

According to the police, they received a call from locals that two persons had entered the manhole but did not come out.

The incident ironically, happened on Labour Day, as no other GHMC or trained municipal workers were present.

The deceased were identified as Veera Swamy and Kotaiah, said Sulatanbazar inspector Shiva Shankar Rao.

"The bodies were sent for postmortem. It appears that they died due to inhalation of poisonous gas. We will get clear picture after postmortem," he said.

Rao said they are inquiring into who engaged them into the work.

Things heated up in the hospital where the labourers were admitted after the family members of the deceased alleged that the police wasted time after reaching the spot by calling for professional help, which arrived too late.

Times of India reported:

Venkatesh, one of the victim's family members, told the media that had the police personnel pulled out the victims from the manhole when they first arrived, two lives would have been saved.

However, the police have defended their move, claiming that the gases in the manhole could have been poisonous.

"We did not know what kind of gas was in the manhole. We sought help from other agencies, but none could arrive in time. Finally, the family members of the victims got inside the hole and brought the bodies out with a lot of difficulty," inspector Shiva Shanker told TOI.

Inputs PTI