NHRC takes suo motu cognizance of sewer-cleaning death in Ujjain

📌 Summary:

• The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognizance of the death of one worker and injuries to two others who inhaled toxic gases while cleaning a sewer chamber in Ujjain district, Madhya Pradesh (incident on 7 July 2026, near Pipli Naka, Bhairavgarh Road)
• The Commission observed that the reported facts, if true, raise serious issues of human rights violation
• It issued notices to the Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary and the Ujjain SSP, calling for a detailed report within two weeks
• The report must cover the status of the investigation and compensation, if any, paid to the next of kin (NoK) of the deceased and the injured
• The case highlights the persistence of hazardous manual cleaning of sewers/septic tanks despite the legal ban

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 — role and powers of the NHRC, hazardous cleaning/manual scavenging, and protection of vulnerable workers; links to the NAMASTE scheme.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• NHRC is a statutory body established under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993
• NHRC can take suo motu cognizance of human rights violations
• Manual/hazardous cleaning is prohibited under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013

🔑 Key Term: Suo motu cognizance — when a statutory or judicial body takes up a matter on its own initiative, without a formal complaint being filed.