Late Tuesday, 30-year-old Abdul Kalam, hailing from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was allegedly told by his contractor, Taufik, to help clean a sewer at the busy Ambedkar Chowk at Nuh’s Firozpur Jhirka. It was not his usual work: he was a labourer who built sewer lines. Not thinking much of it, he climbed down the sewer – without any safety equipment, said Jamshed (55), Abdul’s father.Minutes earlier, his friend Rajendra Kumar (27), a sweeper, had also entered the 25-ft-deep drain to clean it, allegedly following instructions from Taufik. When Rajendra did not emerge, Abdul followed, trying to pull him out, said Jamshed, a farmer.Neither made it back – both had collapsed, overcome by toxic fumes. By the time help arrived, they had died, Jamshed said.A third worker, Mohammed Arbaz (28), who later went in with a rope, managed to come out alive. He was discharged from hospital on Thursday, police said.According to Jamshed, Abdul had returned to Nuh just a month ago after Eid, leaving behind his wife, his six-month-old girl, and his two-year-old son in Saharanpur. He was one of eight siblings — the only brother among seven sisters.Based on a complaint filed by the families of the deceased, an FIR was registered at the City Firozpur Jhirka police station on Wednesday afternoon under Section 106 (death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the contractor, the junior engineer concerned and the sub-divisional officer. The contractor is absconding, and no arrests have been made so far, they added.A senior Haryana Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) official said the junior engineer has been suspended and action recommended against the sub-divisional officer on Thursday. “The contractor was given the tender four months ago to desilt the sewer after we received complaints in this regard. He will be liable to pay compensation to the deceased as per policy… strictest action will be taken,” the official added.Story continues below this adSpeaking to The Indian Express, Sub-Inspector Shiv Prakash, Firozpur Jhirka Sub-Divisional Magistrate Laxmi Narayan and senior PHED officials confirmed the absence of safety equipment. “I, too, had reached the spot immediately… there was no safety gear. It is an unfortunate incident,” Narayan said.Assistant Sub-Inspector Krishan Kumar alleged the contractor took shortcuts. “They should never have been working on Ambedkar Jayanti (a statewide holiday) in the first place, and that too without necessary gear. We have sent notices to the accused to join the investigation.”When The Indian Express visited the accident spot on Thursday, the drain had been covered with wooden logs by the local residents.Yaseen Khan (35), who runs a sugarcane juice shop near the spot, said, “When the first worker did not come out for a long time, another went in without any rope or any other safety equipment. He soon started screaming… Following this, a third worker entered the sewer after we arranged a rope and managed to bring out one of the men (Abdul). By then the police had come… Soon after, the sub-divisional magistrate and other officials arrived.”Story continues below this ad“It was a case of total negligence on the part of the contractor,” he added.Mohd Sameer, a 20-year-old who runs a shop next to the drain, added, “They did not have any safety masks, ropes, or gear.”An earthmover was eventually brought in. “We reached immediately. I called the earthmover but by then it was too late,” said Mukesh Kumar, a home guard on duty at a police post overlooking the chowk.For Kalam’s family, the grief is compounded by anger. “The contractor has not even come to meet us… We just want justice. We have his children to think about now,” Jamshed said, adding that the family completed Abdul’s last rites on Wednesday.Abhimanyu Hazarika is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Gurgaon. He covers southern Haryana. Education - Post-Graduate Diploma in Print Media, Asian College of Journalism (Class of 2020) - B.A. (Hons) Liberal Arts with a major in Political Science, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (Class of 2019) Professional Experience Before joining The Indian Express, he worked with Bar & Bench (legal journalism) and Frontline magazine, where he developed experience in court reporting, legal analysis, and long-form investigative features. Reporting Interests His work centres on civic accountability, environmental policy, urban infrastructure and culture, crime and law enforcement, and their intersections with politics and governance in and around Gurgaon. Recent Coverage (2025) - Crime: Reported on the recovery of 350 kg of explosives and an AK-47 from a rented house in Faridabad, linked to the 2025 Red Fort car explosion case (November 11, 2025). - Environmental policy: Covered protests outside a Haryana minister’s residence against a Supreme Court order that environmentalists argue could allow mining and real estate development on large parts of the Aravalli hills (December 21, 2025). - Pollution control measures: Co-authored coverage of the Rekha Gupta government’s enforcement of vehicle restrictions at Delhi-NCR borders (December 21, 2025). - Road safety and infrastructure: Examined response lapses in the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway hit-and-run case and ongoing investigations into high-speed road crimes in Gurugram. - Animal welfare policy: Reported on concerns regarding the low budget allocated for stray dog sterilization by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (November 30, 2025). - Urban culture: Featured the social media-driven popularity of a new Magnolia Bakery outlet in Gurugram (December 15, 2025). 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