TN: MLA Allegedly Forces Dalit To Do Manual Scavenging

DA video of a sanitation worker cleaning the sewer line with bare hands made rounds on the internet. The controversy erupted in R.K. Nagar, Chennai seeing sanitation working with bare hands after Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MLA J.J. Ebenezer asked him to do it.

The incident took place on January 2 when the DMK leader ordered sanitation workers immediately to clear a blocked underground sewer line after people complained during the ‘Ungalai Thedi MLA’ (MLA at your doorstep) campaign. Meanwhile, MLA has defended himself on the issue saying he never ordered what he is being accused of.

A video has been strongly criticized and condemned by various opposition leaders and Dalit activists. One of the Dalit activists and writer Shalin Maria Lawrence took to Twitter and said that “action should be taken on the MLA.”

“Today DMK MLA from RK Nagar constituency in #Chennai has forced a corporation sanitation worker to clean a sewer with his bare hand. This is atrocious to the core! This is a crime under the Prevention of manual scavenging act and SC/ST POA. Does this government have a conscious?!” she said in a series of tweets.