A tragic incident in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district has raised serious concerns over workplace safety after a labourer was allegedly buried alive while carrying out pipeline installation work under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
The worker remained missing for four days before his body was recovered from the excavation site, sparking anger among local residents.
The incident occurred in Hinganjhar village under the Kacche police outpost in the Bhanuppratappur police station limits, where pipeline installation and household water connection work was being carried out as part of the government's tap water scheme.
Body recovered after fresh excavation
According to officials, around 30-year-old labourer Ramdev Anchla had entered a trench on July 28 to connect a household water pipeline. At the same time, soil was being filled into the trench from the opposite side using a JCB machine.
Investigators suspect that the JCB operator was unaware that Ramdev was still inside the trench and accidentally covered it with soil. Officials believe the large volume of earth left the labourer with no opportunity to escape or raise an alarm.
Other workers were reportedly stationed 20 to 40 metres away and did not witness the incident. When Ramdev failed to return for lunch, his co-workers began searching for him. Although his mobile phone initially rang, it later became unreachable.
His family members and villagers also joined the search before a missing person's complaint was filed at the local police outpost.
On July 31, police, village representatives and local residents carried out fresh excavation at the suspected location. After digging to a depth of nearly 10 metres, they recovered Ramdev's body from inside the trench. He was found in a sitting position, leaving those present at the site shocked.
Villagers protest, investigation underway
Following the recovery of the body, enraged villagers allegedly assaulted the JCB operator. Police intervened to control the situation and took the driver, identified as Vijay Rajput, into custody.
Rajput told police that he had not seen anyone inside the trench while filling it with soil and claimed that the search for Ramdev only began after the labourer failed to return during the lunch break.
The body has been sent to Bhanupratappur for a post-mortem examination, which is scheduled to be conducted on August 1.
Meanwhile, the police and the Public Health Engineering Department have launched an investigation to determine whether mandatory safety protocols were followed at the worksite and to establish responsibility for the incident.
