The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report regarding the death of a 28-year-old sanitation worker during a sewer cleaning operation in NOIDA. The incident occurred on 14th July 2026 in Sector-93 of NOIDA, Gautam Budh Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh, during cleaning operations carried out by the NOIDA Authority. The worker died after inhaling toxic gases in the sewer line.
The Commission observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise serious issues of human rights violations. In response, the NHRC has issued notices to the Chairman of NOIDA Authority and the Commissioner of Police, Gautam Budh Nagar, calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.
According to the media report carried on 15th July 2026, the victim was pulled out by police and Fire Brigade personnel and rushed to the hospital where he died during treatment. The victim's family alleged that sanitation workers were sent down into the sewer without adequate safety equipment, which forms the basis of the human rights concerns raised by the NHRC.