Malwani manhole deaths: Surviving worker booked for colleagues' death

Three workers cleaning the septic tank of Ram Mandir chawl in Malwani died of suffocation on Feb 16 The fire brigade was called in to inspect the site PicsDatta KumbharRamkumar Ramajayem barely beat death but how will he escape a ruthless police machinery The 28yearold was one of the four workers who fell victim to toxic fumes from a septic tank of a Malwani chawl last weekAlso read Three labourers die while cleaning manhole in MaladWhile the other three died Ramajayem has been declared out of danger But the relief of having cheated death was shortlived He now faces criminal charges for causing his coworkers deathKashi Ramanss inset wife Sumathi and their 14yearold daughter DivyaOn February 16 Murti Periyaswamy 33 Kashi Raman 45 Maya Kashi 24 and Ramajayem took a contract of cleaning the septic tank of Ram Mandir chawl in Malwani for R5000 As Periyaswamy Raman and Maya lowered themselves into the tank toxic fumes began to knock them out one by one Periyaswamy and Maya died on the spot and Raman in the hospital Ramajayem who rushed to rescue the three and inhaled the fumes was hospitalised but has now been declared out of dangerThe Malwani police then booked him along with the chawl owners on the grounds of causing his coworkers death due to negligence The charge has left Ramajayems family and the Tamil community of Malwani from which he hails both befuddled and furiousMurti Periyaswamys inset wife Satya and their threeyearold son ElangoUproar buildsHow can the police register a case against the victim asked Bezwada Wilson 50 human rights activist and national convenor of the Safai Karamchari Andolan They should book the authorities concerned from the solid waste management department If the police do not withdraw the case we will move courtTo protest the police move the Tamil community of Malwani refused to perform the final rites of the victims and gathered outside Malwani police station on Saturday demanding that Ramajayems name be withdrawn from the FIR The mob dispersed only after the police assured them that Ramajayem would not be arrested The funerals were then performedMaya Kashi insets motherDeepak Phatangre senior inspector of Malwani police station however clarified that since it was Ramajayem who got the other three the contract it was his negligence to provide safety measures that was directly responsible for their deathsWe have registered a case under section 304 culpable homicide not amounting to murder of the IPC against the four chawl owners and Ramajayem but no one has been arrested so farBMC charging cleanupsWhile pinning the blame for the tragedy is still up for debate residents of Malwani said the sight of manual scavengers cleaning septic tanks isnt uncommon in the areaBritto Angelo a resident of Karuna Bhavan Society near Ram Mandir chawl accused the BMC of taking money for septic tank cleanups Around 15 days ago we got our tank cleaned but the BMC authorities charged us R2500 for it They didnt give us a receipt for the workParminder Singh Bhamra sitting corporator of Malad West said BMCs solid waste management department officials cannot charge for any cleanup work Despite repeated attempts Siraj Ansari chief engineer solid waste management department BMC was unavailable for commentSole breadwinnersWhile Ramajayem braces himself for an uphill battle with the police the other victims families mdash all of whom live in new collectors office compound around 2 km from Ram Mandir chawl mdash are staring at a bleak futurePeriyaswamys wife Satya has been thrust with the burden of taking care of their threeyearold son Elango her motherinlaw and a 20yearold unmarried sisterinlaw just three months into her pregnancy He Periyaswamy was a daily wage earner and the only earning member in the family Who will take care of us now she ruedVishwanaths wife Sumathi 36 took has been left to fend for herself and their 15yearold daughter We have no support My husband was the only earning member of the families she saidMaya was single but his engagement was scheduled to take place in a fortnight said his elder brother Gemini A native of Salem district in Tamil Nadu he lived with his mother two brothers and a sister Now the entire familys responsibility lies on my shoulders I need help from the government said GeminiGive compensationNayya Swami President of Tamil Welfare Association MumbaiNo politician has visited the victims families Most victims were the only breadwinners of their families The government as well as residents of the chawl should given them adequate compensation