Four construction workers, including a father and a son, died allegedly because of suffocation while working inside a new septic tank in Garhwa district of Jharkhand on Wednesday morning.

After getting the news of the death of four persons, residents blocked the Kandi-Garhwa Main Road demanding action against the absent doctor at the Kandi primary health centre and adequate compensation for the relatives of the deceased workers.

The workers were initially rushed to the primary health centre but due to the absence of a doctor and an ambulance, they had to be taken to a referral hospital in Manjhiaon, around 20km from the spot, in a private van.

According to the residents, the four workers — Mithilesh Kumar Mehta, 40, his son Nagendra Mehta (19), Anil Kumar Mehta, 25, and Satyendra Mehta, 20 — were working inside a septic tank in the newly built house of one Akhilesh Dubey in Dumersota village under Kandi police station. They were removing the shuttering over which the top cover of the tank is cast in cement. However, when they did not come out for a long time, other workers peeped inside the septic tank to find them unconscious and somehow managed to bring them out. The area is around 210km from state capital Ranchi.

Women gather at the house of the deceased father and son at Kandi Bhola Prasad

A police source said, “The four persons were rushed to the nearby Kandi primary health centre but the doctor-on-duty Govind Seth was not present at the time. They were asked to take them to the Referral Hospital at Manjhiaon. There was no ambulance and they had to arrange a private van to take them to the referral hospital. When they reached the referral hospital, the doctor (Dr Kamlesh Kumar) after examination declared them brought dead. This made the people angry and they started burning tyres near the hospital and blocked the Kandi–Garhwa Main Road around noon demanding action against the absent doctor and suitable compensation for the deceased workers’ families.”

The road blockade was continuing at the time of filing of the report, while senior administrative officials were trying to persuade the residents.

Garhwa deputy commissioner Rajesh Kujmar Pathak assured action against the doctor at the Kandi primary health centre but doubted that the death was due to suffocation from poisonous gases.

“It was a newly constructed unused septic tank and emanating of poisonous gases is not likely. However, the real reason of death could only be ascertained after the post-mortem report comes. We have come to know about a doctor not being present at Kandi primary hospital and action will be initiated against him. We will also give compensation as per social security norms of the government,” he said.

In July this year a similar incident had occurred when three men, including a father and a son, died allegedly due to suffocation while working inside a newly constructed septic tank in Pipra Kala locality of Garhwa district.