Jaipur: It took nearly 35 hours for police in Bikaner’s Mukta Nagar area to register an FIR after three labourers died while cleaning a septic tank at a woollen mill. The delay has raised questions even as the Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission stepped in, taking suo motu cognisance of the incident.The three workers died on Thursday morning after inhaling toxic fumes while cleaning a septic tank at Bhavani Woollen Mills. According to police, the tank is used to collect wastewater from chemical processes in wool cleaning, and it was filled with thick sludge. The victims, who were not provided with any protective gear such as oxygen masks or harnesses, died around 10am.Family members of the deceased accused the factory management of gross negligence and alleged that no safety measures were in place. On Thursday, they gathered outside the hospital mortuary along with other community members and refused to accept the bodies. They demanded compensation from the factory management, saying that the workers earlier refused to clean the same tank due to its hazardous condition. Police said a compromise was reached between the factory owner and the families after two hours of discussion, leading to the FIR being filed late Friday evening.Officials said they waited for the postmortem examination before registering the case.
