Ahmedabad: The Shahibaug Police on Tuesday registered an FIR against two chief supervisors of Smart Maintenance Company following the death of a sanitation worker during a drain-cleaning operation at UN Mehta Hospital in Asarwa.

The complaint was lodged under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act by 32-year-old contract sanitation worker Pravin Vaghela, who has been employed through Smart Maintenance Company for the past year and was assigned to cleaning work in the hospital’s basement parking area.

According to the complaint, the incident took place between 7 pm and 7.30 pm on Monday near the biomedical section in Basement 1, where a drain was scheduled to be cleaned.

Vaghela alleged that chief supervisors Raj Bharatkumar Barot and Pinakin Dhanjibhai Parmar instructed him and other workers to enter the drain to carry out the cleaning work.

As per the FIR, co-worker Sahil Nadiya first climbed into the drain but came out after experiencing severe breathlessness. He made a second attempt but was again forced to return due to difficulty in breathing. Later, Roki Mekwan entered the drain and lost consciousness. Nadiya reportedly jumped in to rescue him but also collapsed. After that, Vaghela allegedly entered the drain in an attempt to save both men but was overcome by the fumes and had to be pulled out by others at the scene.

Vaghela was admitted to the hospital for treatment and later learnt that personnel from the fire brigade had rescued Mekwan and Nadiya. Mekwan died during treatment, while Nadiya remains unconscious and is undergoing medical care.

The complaint alleges that the two supervisors directed the workers to carry out the hazardous task without providing adequate safety equipment or precautions despite being aware of the risks involved. DeshGujarat