Bengaluru: Two die in alleged manual scavenging incident in a sweet shop

A prominent Bengaluru sweetmaker with 18 outlets across the city is under scrutiny following the deaths of two men in a suspected manual scavenging incident in his factory. The tragedy unfolded on Thursday evening at the Asha Sweet Centre’s factory in the Sompura Industrial Area near Dobbaspet, reports indicate.

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The victims, identified as Lingaraju and Naveen, both aged 26, were reportedly performing sewage maintenance tasks when the incident occurred. Lingaraju was from Tumakuru, and Naveen hailed from Anantapur, according to reports. The circumstances suggest they may have been engaged in manual scavenging, an illegal and hazardous activity in India.

In response, Bengaluru police have detained two individuals: Santhosh, who was the site supervisor, and Ramesh, owner of JRR Aqua Pvt Ltd., the subcontractor overseeing the factory’s sewage treatment plant (STP) operations. Authorities have also named Mayur, the owner of Asha Sweet Centre, as the second accused in the FIR. A search is underway to locate him, reports state.

A case has been registered under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder as per Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and violations of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. The incident has spotlighted continued illegal practices and worker safety concerns in industrial operations.