‘Dumped like dead dogs’, family devastated after 3, including father-son, die cleaning Ludhiana factory tank

The factory where three lost their lives cleaning toxic tank. (Express photo: Gurmeet Singh)

Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain, who marked a magisterial inquiry into the incident, said that per preliminary information, the workers were cleaning a waste-filled tank and collapsed on inhaling toxic gas. “We have also sought a report from Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) on the nature of the toxic gas and the circumstances under which the work was ongoing in the factory during night,” Jain said.

The deceased were identified as Maan Singh, 46, his son Amit, 24, residents of Giaspura, and another worker Shriram. The two undergoing treatment were identified as Deepak Kumar and Rajender Kumar.

Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma said an FIR for culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been registered at Moti Nagar police station against the factory management on the complaint of Ram Lal, father of Maan Singh.

According to the FIR, Ram Lal, 71, in his statement told police from past some days, Maan and Amit both were getting calls from Deeps Tools to clean silt in their chemical-laden tanks (two tanks of 10,000 liters each). He said that his son and grandson refused to do the job, adding that the hazardous waste in hand tool factories is professionally handled and cleaned by Mohali based firm. “However, the factories in Ludhiana, to save money, hire local workers to handle hazardous waste. They make them dump the waste in sewage lines,” said Ram Lal in his statement.

He added that his son and grandson again received a call from the factory on Sunday and left home around 9.30 pm. “When they did not return home till morning, we reached the factory around 7.30am. We got to know that my son, grandson and 3-4 other workers were made to clean the chemical laden taken without any safety kit…My son and grandson died and 2-3 others got unconscious. It all happened due to extreme negligence of the factory management,” he added.

ACP (Industrial Area-A) Inderjit Singh Boparai said, “The workers were called in to clean the waste disposal tank of the electroplating unit inside the factory. They started cleaning the chemical-laden tank manually and not provided any protective gear. They lacked the skill and training to handle chemical-laden waste.”

Maan Singh’s uncle Jagdish Singh said the factory management did not inform them about the incident. “It was only after we reached the factory at 7 am that we got to know that five workers were rushed to Mohandai Oswal Hospital. As per hospital, they were brought in around 4 am and by then three had already died. We want justice. Maan and Amit were the breadwinners of the their families. Maan is survived by old parents, wife and four daughters. Amit is survived by wife and an infant daughter. Who will take care of them now?,” asked Jagdish.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Maan Singh’s daughter Renu said: “They (factory management) used my father and brother and then threw them away. They were dumped like dead dogs. They were lying dead at Mohandai Oswal Hospital since 4 am but we were never informed. We got to know about the incident only after we reached the factory at 7 am.”

ACP Boparai said that factory management did not inform the police about the incident. “We got to know about it only around 10 am from a social worker”.

Jaswinder Singh Bhangu, assistant divisional fire officer, Ludhiana, said: “The incident took place around 2.30 am but we were called in the morning after several hours. By that time, the gas had evaporated and we could not detect anything at the spot”.

Boparai added highly toxic substances such as nickel were also used in the unit. “We have booked the entire management under the section 105 of BNS and a probe has been initiated. Father-son were hired from outside for a day and three others were their own employees.”