Two workers died after inhaling toxic gas while repairing an electric motor inside a stormwater drain in Chennai’s Kodungaiyur, prompting their families to hold a sit-in at Government Stanley Hospital and refuse to receive the bodies until a minister met them.
Naveen Kumar, 34, and Asmath Basha, 38, died on Monday evening while working inside a 15-foot-deep drain on Thendral Nagar 3rd Street. The two men had been engaged by a private firm contracted by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), according to a report by the Times of India.
Around 20 relatives gathered outside the hospital mortuary on Tuesday, accusing the civic body of failing to ensure the workers’ safety. The families said no corporation officer had visited them or explained what had happened. They demanded that a minister come to the hospital and address their concerns, stating that they would continue their protest and would not accept the bodies until then.
The incident has put attention on the risks faced by workers entering confined urban infrastructure, including stormwater drains that can contain toxic gases. In this case, the workers were reportedly repairing an electric motor inside the drain when they inhaled the gas. The report did not specify the gas involved or whether safety equipment and confined-space protocols were in place.
At around noon, Tamil Nadu Housing Board chairman V Siva met the protesting families and handed over a cheque of ₹30 lakh each. The payment provided immediate financial assistance, but the families also raised demands linked to their long-term livelihood and accountability for the deaths.
Preethi, Naveen’s wife, was at Stanley Hospital with their one-year-old daughter. She said she had not yet seen her husband’s face after his death and sought a job because the family depended on his daily wages. Asmath was from Vellore district, while Naveen was from West Tambaram.
The families’ protest also drew political criticism. I Paranthamen of the DMK questioned why the two ministers in Chennai had not issued a statement or visited the relatives. The report did not mention any response from the ministers or provide details of an investigation into the deaths.
The incident places responsibility across the municipal contracting chain: the GCC as the contracting authority, the private firm that engaged the workers, and the agencies responsible for enforcing occupational safety. The families’ demands and the circumstances inside the drain remain central to determining whether required precautions were followed before the workers entered the confined space.
The families continued to seek a minister’s visit, a job for Naveen’s wife and answers from the corporation and other authorities before accepting the bodies.
