Three workers die in Mundka septic tank, factory owner and two others arrested
Three workers died on Friday after allegedly inhaling toxic gas while cleaning a septic tank inside Marwah Printers, a printing factory in the Mundka Industrial Area of Outer Delhi. Following the incident, the Delhi Police arrested three individuals, including the factory owner and the labor contractor, under the Manual Scavenging Act and the SC/ST Act.
The deceased workers have been identified as Arun, 38, Sandeep, 32, and Chand, 42. All three men were residents of Sultanpuri in Outer Delhi, according to a Delhi Fire Services official.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Vikram Singh identified the three arrested individuals as Suraj Marwah, 50, the owner of Marwah Printers; Jayant, 61; and Neeraj, 35, the contractor who hired the labourers.
According to the police, a PCR call was received at the Mundka police station regarding the incident, prompting an emergency team to rush to Gali No. 1 of the Mundka Industrial Area.
A preliminary inquiry revealed that the printing unit had hired Neeraj, a resident of Nangloi, to clean the septic tank located inside the factory premises. Neeraj and the three workers were engaged in cleaning the tank when the incident took place.
A senior police officer stated that Neeraj allegedly told one of the workers that they had to get inside the tank to clean out the garbage stuck in the machine. Rescue efforts were initiated soon after the men became unresponsive, and the workers were pulled out of the tank, but they could not be saved.
The bodies of the deceased have been shifted to the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Mangolpuri for a post-mortem examination. Officers said the autopsy will help determine the exact cause of death.
On Friday evening, the two-floor factory with white paint scraping off its walls wore a deserted look with its black iron gate locked. On the lane outside, sewage and blue gloves belonging to the three deceased men remained on the ground.
Police officials are currently examining whether mandatory safety protocols were followed before the cleaning operation began. Further investigation into the incident is ongoing.
