"Hazardous manual scavenging kills two more workers in India", 24 February 2023

Dozens of sanitation workers protested near the offices of Rustam Foods in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district, following the death of two daily wage workers at the factory. [T]he two workers had attempted to enter a septic tank to clean it when they fell unconscious and later died. Protesting workers are demanding more safety protections for workers and compensation for the family members of the victims.

[...]

The deaths of the two workers in UP is not an anomaly. According to figures from the Central Government, at least 347 people died between 2017 and 2022 while cleaning sewers and septic tanks. However, activists from the Safai Karamchari Andolan (Sanitation Workers Movement), argue that the actual number of deaths is far higher since police complaints are not filed in many cases.

[...]

In India, this practice is called manual scavenging and it involves the removal of untreated human waste from bucket toilets or pit latrines. The practice is linked to the oppressive and discriminatory Hindu caste system in India. While the practice is prohibited by law, thousands of Dalits, who are considered to be untouchables under the caste system, are forced to clean human excreta with their bare hands and often with no protective equipment.