Manual septic tank cleaning kills 3 workers in Rajasthan's Bikaner

Three workers died after they inhaled a toxic gas while cleaning a septic tank at a woollen mill in Karani Industrial Area in Bikaner on Thursday, police said.

The workers were called to clean the tank filled with wastewater containing chemicals which are used in thread processing at the mill, they said.

"One of the workers entered the tank first. When he did not respond for a long time, the other two went in after him. All three were overcome by toxic fumes and lost consciousness," a senior police official said.

Other employees pulled the workers out and rushed them to PBM Hospital in Bikaner, where doctors declared them brought dead. Initial findings suggest exposure to high levels of carbon dioxide or some other hazardous gas inside the tank, police said.

The victims were identified as Sagar, Anil and Ganesh Karani, all residents of Shivbari area of Bikaner.

Reacting to the incident, Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra said this is not an accident but an "institutional murder".

बीकानेर में तीन मजदूरों की फैक्ट्री में बने सेप्टिक टैंक की सफाई के दौरान दम घुटने से दर्दनाक मौत हो गई। मैं पीड़ित परिवारों के प्रति गहरी संवेदना व्यक्त करता हूं।

यह हादसा घोर लापरवाही और असंवेदनशीलता को दर्शाता है। बिना किसी सुरक्षा उपकरण और उचित निगरानी के मजदूरों को सफाई के…

— Sachin Pilot (@SachinPilot) May 22, 2025

Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot too condemned the incident and demanded an investigation and strict action against the culprits.

In a post on X, he said, "This accident shows gross negligence and insensitivity.

"Workers were sent for cleaning without any safety equipment and proper monitoring, which is a direct violation of human rights."

Dotasra also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Bikaner on Thursday, 22 May, to address a public meeting, over the incident.

"It was expected that you (PM Modi) would say a few words of condolence to the families of the deceased workers. But neither did you express condolences nor did the state BJP government take responsibility for it," Dotasra said in a post on X.

प्रधानमंत्री जी.. आज बीकानेर में नाले की सफाई के दौरान 3 मजदूरों की दम घुटने से दर्दनाक मौत हो गई।

ये हादसा नहीं, संस्थागत हत्या है। उम्मीद थी कि आप मृतक मजदूरों के परिवारजनों के प्रति संवेदना में दो शब्द कहेंगे लेकिन न तो आपने संवेदना जताई और न ही राज्य की भाजपा सरकार ने इसकी…

— Govind Singh Dotasra (@GovindDotasra) May 22, 2025

He urged that the government must investigate this incident and take strict action against the culprits, calling the incident an institutional murder, and demanded adequate compensation to the families of the deceased.

With PTI inputs