Chhattisgarh labourer buried alive during pipeline work, body recovered 4 days later
A shocking incident from Chhattisgarh's Kanker district has raised serious questions over workplace safety after a labourer was allegedly buried alive while laying pipelines under
A shocking incident from Chhattisgarh's Kanker district has raised serious questions over workplace safety after a labourer was allegedly buried alive while laying pipelines under the Jal Jeevan Mission. The worker remained missing for four days before his body was recovered from the excavation site, triggering outrage among villagers. The incident took place in Hinganjhar village under the Kacche police outpost in the Bhanuppratappur police station area, where pipeline installation and household water connection work was underway as part of the government's tap water scheme. Read Full Story BODY RECOVERED DURING FRESH EXCAVATION According to officials, around 30-year-old labourer Ramdev Anchla had entered a trench on July 28 to connect a household pipeline.
At the same time, soil was being filled into the trench from the opposite end using a JCB machine. It is suspected that the JCB operator was unaware that a worker was still inside the trench and accidentally covered the area with soil. Authorities believe the large volume of earth left Ramdev with no chance to escape or call for help. Other labourers were reportedly working 20 to 40 metres away and did not notice the incident. When Ramdev failed to return for lunch, co-workers began searching for him. His phone initially rang but later became unreachable.
Family members and villagers also searched for him before a missing person's complaint was lodged at the local police outpost. On July 31, police, village representatives and local residents conducted fresh excavation at the suspected location. After digging nearly 10 metres, Ramdev's body was found inside the trench in a sitting position, leaving those present at the site stunned. VILLAGERS PROTEST, PROBE UNDERWAY Following the recovery of the body, angry villagers allegedly assaulted the JCB operator. Police intervened, brought the situation under control and took the driver, Vijay Rajput, into custody. Rajput claimed he did not see anyone inside the trench while filling it and said the search for the worker only began after he failed to appear during the lunch break.
Police have sent the body for post-mortem at Bhanupratappur, with the examination scheduled for August 1. Authorities and the Public Health Engineering Department have launched an investigation to determine whether mandatory safety protocols were followed at the worksite and to fix responsibility for the incident. Ends With inputs from Naresh Sharma
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