In a sharp rebuttal to the Gujarat government’s dogged refusal to admit the prevalence of manual scavenging in the state, the Safai Kamdar Hak Rakshak Samiti, Surendranagar, which is supported by the Navsarjan Trust, has come up with documentary evidence to demand the the despicable practice, which Mahatma Gandhi called “shame of the nation.” Releasing photographs showing existence of manual scavenging under Dudhrej municipality, has demanded from the district collector, Surendranagar, to take “urgent steps to stop the practice and employ them in respectable jobs.” The statement said, “Even today, 66 years after Independence, the municipality has manual scavengers who are forced to manually clean up human excreta at several public places. This is disgraceful. The municipality officials who force the workers to do this should be punished.” For three weeks, the manual scavengers, not even paid minimum wages, were on warpath against local authorities, who have retaliated by sacking some workers.

See following links to read more:

1. http://www.counterview.net/2014/07/contract-workers-of-small-gujarat-town.html

2. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/gujarat-turns-a-blind-eye-to-manual-scavenging/article6293429.ece

3. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/Manual-scavengers-in-Surendranagar-sits-on-protest/articleshow/40309054.cms