Pourakarmikas, or sanitation workers, in Bengaluru condemned the caste and gender-based violence they face in their line of duty and protested outside the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) headquarters. The protest held on Wednesday, September 18, was sparked by a recent incident in which six pourakarmikas were allegedly assaulted and subjected to casteist abuse while performing their cleaning duties in Ward 72. Despite an FIR being filed under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, the accused are yet to be arrested.
According to reports, the assault occurred on September 11, when a local resident, Chandru, and his mother attacked the pourakarmikas after they refused to collect household waste, which falls outside their duties.
Lakshmi, one of the victims, said in the police complaint that Chandru not only physically assaulted her and her colleagues but also destroyed her phone worth Rs 33,000 as she tried to record the incident. She told Chandru’s mother that they are responsible for cleaning the street and household waste is collected by auto tippers, which enraged the duo.
The Byadarahalli police have registered a case against the mother and her son, accusing them of assaulting several pourakarmikas and hurling caste-based insults. The two individuals have been charged under multiple provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment, 2014, as well as the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023.
Speaking about the assault, Lakshmi said, “Why have the culprits not yet been arrested? They violated my dignity in public, and the fact that there has been no action against them shows negligence towards workers like us.”
Nirmala, the president of BBMP Pourakarmika Sangha said, “This incident highlights the danger under which pourakarmikas are forced to work. It also shows the triple oppression they endure daily — based on their caste, gender, and class. Despite doing essential public health work, they are met with systemic discrimination and violence, which needs immediate attention and correction.”
“It’s not just this one incident. We deal with untouchability every day. We are not allowed to touch the gates of certain homes, and people give us water in bathroom mugs. This is the discrimination we face, even while performing essential work,” another pourakarmika, Rangamma said.
The union, affiliated to All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), is demanding the immediate arrest of the perpetrators, compensation of Rs 10 lakhs for each of the assaulted workers, and comprehensive safety measures to protect pourakarmikas from further violence and harassment.