India underreports hundreds of sanitation worker deaths, rights group says

The rights organization Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA) alleges that the Indian government has underreported fatalities among sanitation workers cleaning sewers and septic tanks. While Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale told Parliament that 332 deaths occurred between January 2021 and June 2026, SKA's own records list 593 deaths – a discrepancy of 261.

SKA says 113 workers died in 2026 alone, including 15 in July. It labels the omission “criminal” and “shameful,” arguing that the deaths mostly involve Dalit labourers and reflect ongoing caste‑based discrimination and unsafe manual cleaning practices. The group has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to acknowledge the shortfall, to set up a Parliamentary Standing Committee to investigate, and to implement a time‑bound national action plan, calling for a review of the NAMASTE (National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem) scheme. The government has not responded to the allegations.

Both articles stress that SKA has submitted representations to members of Parliament and is pressing for annual reporting on fatalities, prosecutions, compensation and rehabilitation measures.