“Jai Bhim, Jai Bhim…”
In the early hours of August 14, 2025, at around 1 am, police switched on their loudspeakers and ordered sanitation workers to disperse from in front of the historic Ripon building in Chennai. “Jai Bhim” was more than a slogan that night. It bound the workers together, drowning out the commands blaring through the speakers. It felt like a community holding its ground.
This moment marked the end of a 13-day protest outside the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) building in the heart of Chennai. The workers were protesting the GCC's decision to privatise sanitation work in zones 5 (Royapuram) and 6 (Thiru Vi Ka Nagar). What stood out was the worker’s clarity. “This is makkal pani” – ‘people’s work’, they said. “Why should it be handed over to private contractors?”
That night, amid allegations of violence and abuse, police arrested nearly 2000 workers within an hour. They tore down tarpaulin sheets the workers used for shelter, dismantled hoardings and pulled down flags.
There is a photograph I took that day.