NHRC notice to Tiruchirappalli municipal commissioner, SP over death of 2 sanitation workers

New Delhi, Sep 29 (PTI) The NHRC on Monday said it has issued notices to municipal commissioner and superintendent of police of Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu over reports that two sanitation workers died allegedly due to asphyxiation while working on an underground drainage pipeline last week.

The National Human Rights Commission has observed that the content of the media report, if true, raises a serious issue of human rights violation.

The NHRC has taken "suo motu cognisance of a media report that two sanitation workers died due to asphyxiation on September 22, 2025 while working on a newly constructed underground drainage pipeline near Carmel Garden in the Muthunagar area of Tiruverumbur, Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil Nadu," it said in a statement.

Reportedly, they were engaged by a construction firm for the work of the Tiruchirappalli Corporation, the rights panel said.

Therefore, it has issued notices to the commissioner, Municipal Corporation and superintendent of police, Tiruchirappalli, seeking a detailed report in two weeks.

The report is expected to include the status of the investigation and compensation, if any, paid to the next of kin of the deceased workers, the statement said.

According to the media report published on September 23, there was no clarity whether the victim workers were given proper safety gear or not.

In another statement, the NHRC said it has taken "suo motu cognisance of a media report that even after a month of a blast in an LPG tanker causing seven deaths and damage to several properties, the affected families are still struggling to rebuild their houses and shops in Mandiala village, Hoshiarpur, Punjab".

Reportedly, the government has released compensation for the kin of the deceased. However, the assessment of damage to property is still going on, the rights panel said.

The Commission has observed that the content of the news report, if true, raises serious issues of violation of human rights of the victims.

Therefore, it has issued notices to the chief secretary of Punjab, senior superintendent of police of Hoshiarpur and chief controller of explosives, Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, seeking a detailed report including the status of the investigation on the matter within two weeks, the statement said.

The media report, carried on September 23, 2025, has mentioned the challenges and trauma being faced by the blast victims and their families. PTI KND KND KVK KVK