Karnataka Authorities Launch Probe into Alleged Toilet Pit Cleaning Incident

DAVANAGERE: Nearly a week after two civic workers were allegedly made to enter a toilet pit without protective equipment at the PWD Travellers’ Bungalow in Davanagere, Deputy Commissioner G M Gangadharaswamy has directed the City Corporation Commissioner to register an FIR and initiate an inquiry into the incident. According to a complaint filed by Raghavendra D Kademani, district convener of the Karnataka Dalit Sangharsha Samithi (DSS), the incident took place on July 27, 2026, when two civic workers were allegedly asked to clean a clogged toilet pit on the Travellers’ Bungalow premises without being provided mandatory safety gear. The complaint alleges that an Assistant Executive Engineer instructed the Travellers’ Bungalow staff to clean the toilet pit. The incident has raised concerns over an alleged violation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, which prohibits hazardous manual cleaning of septic tanks, sewer lines and similar structures, except under strictly regulated safety protocols. Speaking to TNIE, Kademani urged both the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis and the Karnataka State Commission for Safai Karamcharis to conduct a thorough inquiry and initiate criminal proceedings against those responsible.