Overview

• L Putta, 31, collapsed and died the morning after being compelled to clean a manhole in Ashraynagar without protective gear.
• Another worker, Anthony, was hospitalized with severe breathing issues after inhaling toxic gases during the same cleanup.
• Bengaluru police charged four men with negligent homicide and violations of the 2013 manual scavenging prohibition and took them into custody on Monday.
• Witnesses reported no medical aid was offered to the victims despite clear signs of distress when they exited the manhole.
• Government data show thousands of manual scavengers still operate in Karnataka and nearly 100 related deaths in the past three decades underscore systemic enforcement gaps.