Three workers lost their lives after allegedly inhaling poisonous gas while cleaning a septic tank at a factory in Delhi's Mundka Industrial Area on Friday. The incident took place inside the premises of Marwah Printers, where a contractor had been hired to carry out the cleaning work.
According to PTI, officials said that the Delhi Fire Services received a distress call around noon stating that three men had fallen into a septic tank while cleaning it. Police later found that contractor Neeraj had been engaged by the factory for the job and had arrived with three workers.
The deceased have been identified as Arun (25), Sandeep (32) and Chand (42), all residents of Sultanpuri. Investigators said the workers allegedly became unconscious after inhaling toxic fumes inside the tank.
Also Read | 'If she had any issues, she should have said no': Father on wig angle in Ketan Agarwal murder case
Rescue delayed due to traffic congestion
Three fire tenders were dispatched to the site after the emergency call. However, heavy traffic slowed down the rescue effort. While two fire engines were initially sent, congestion on the route forced authorities to deploy another fire tender from the opposite direction through Tikri to speed up the operation.
After reaching the factory, firefighters pulled the three workers out of the septic tank. They were declared dead, and their bodies were later shifted to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Mangolpuri for postmortem examination. The autopsy is expected to determine the exact cause of death.
Police have registered a case under Sections 106 (death by negligence) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Section 9 of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, and Section 3(1)(j) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Three arrested as grieving families seek answers
Police have arrested three people in connection with the incident. Those held include Suaj Marwah, the 50-year-old owner of the factory, Jayant, and a contractor who owned the vehicle used to transport the workers to the site.
The tragedy has left the victims' families devastated.
"My children have been asking me since morning where their father has gone”, Chand’s wife said, breaking down. “They were told that he met with an accident, and they have been inconsolable ever since," Mint quoted Chand's wife as saying.
Also Read | Ketan Agarwal murder: Family claims Siya Goyal's kin knew about affair before marriage
"I don't know what to do now or how we will survive. He hardly went to work, but today he said he needed some money to repay a few loans, so he decided to go," she further added.
Sandeep's mother recalled that the family was travelling to Bhiwani for her eye treatment when they received the heartbreaking news.
"He was the only one looking after his two daughters, his ailing father, and me after his wife died. I don't know how we will survive now," she said.
Arun's brother Narendra blamed the factory management for sending the workers into the septic tank.
"He needed the money, so he agreed. He was only 25 years old, and now he has died in that tank. I don't know who will take responsibility for this," he said.
