The truth about Hindustan Times reporter’s viral photo

Or how money complicates matters.

WrittenBy:Rohin Kumar
Date:
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Statistics on manual scavenging deaths are stark: one person has died every five days cleaning sewers and septic tanks in India since 2017. This is if we go by newspaper reports. But not all deaths make it to the media and not all reports occupy front-page space or elicit prime-time discussions.

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Indeed, not all deaths would get people together to raise more than Rs 50 lakh for the victim’s family. Anil’s was a unique case and now, it presents its own set of unique complications.

On September 18, Hindustan Times reporter Shiv Sunny tweeted out an image of a grieving boy, eleven-year-old Gaurav, next to Anil’s body.

Anil (37) had died cleaning a Delhi Jal Board sewer pit in West Delhi. For a crime reporter in the national capital, who has to file at least three to four copies in a day, this is a routine story. Shiv’s tweet, however, turned it into a special report for days to come.

Within hours of the social media post, several people on Twitter, who wanted to help, came forward to support the boy. Uday Foundation and Ketto stepped in, and the image managed to raise more than Rs 50 lakh. In addition to this, the Delhi government has promised Rs 10 lakh to Anil’s family.

And this is where the problem began.

The child seen in Shiv’s photograph is not Anil’s biological son. Anil had been living in with Rani and her children from her previous marriage for about three years. Rani married 12 years ago but after disagreements with her ex-husband, she had separated from him. “He (the first husband) hit me a lot. He was a drunk…did not even care for the children. That’s why I left him,” says Rani.

“For three years, I lived with Babu, along with my three children, who used to call him their father.” Babu is a term of endearment Rani uses for Anil. Rani adds that just two weeks ago Anil had got Gaurav enrolled in a primary school in Dabri in South-West Delhi; he joined the third-grade. 

“He (Anil) was very happy that day,” says Rani as she breaks down. “He always used to say he would give Gaurav a good education so that he would become a ‘standard’ for the rest of the students. He used to say, ‘I will not allow him to enter the sewer.’”

“Babu loved me so much; every day, when he returned from work, he used to press my feet.” Rani and Anil’s four-month-old son Shivam had died just seven days before Anil lost his life.

In Dabri Extension, everyone knew Rani as Anil’s wife and her three children as Anil’s. But since the Delhi government announced the compensation, Anil’s blood family, that of his mother, father, brother and sister, have also surfaced. The family feels that the aid amount should not be given to Rani. “Anil’s blood relationship is with us—how can the amount of money be given to Rani?” said one of his relatives.

Meanwhile, at Dabri Extension — where Anil was known as “Anil-Gutter-Safai-Walla” — the envy is palpable among his neighbours. “Naale main gir kar, Anil tar gaya [Anil drowned in a gutter, but he sailed through],” said one neighbour. Another, Sunder Mahato, said, “Anil mara zaroor, lekin Rani ko Maharani bana gaya. Mantri, media, paisa, sab dila diya. Ab jeevan bhar aish karegi [Anil has died but he’s left a lot for Rani. She is sorted for the rest of her life].”

For those who work at Uday Foundation, this sentiment is not new. “Intense media scrutiny and the news of monetary compensation, of course, creates a lot of problems. Suddenly, the neighbours get to know, everyone around the victim’s family gets to know, everyone wants their share of the pie,” said one official on condition of anonymity.
Uday Foundation has stated that the funds raised will only be transferred to the beneficiary (the boy in the picture) following a “thorough checking of facts and completion of the verification procedure”.

The Supreme Court has recognised live-in relationships and also stated that the woman would be eligible to inherit property after the death of her partner. But the top court’s pronouncement will take some time before it trickles down through society. As for Gaurav, it is not clear yet what would happen to the money raised in his name. For all the complications it has created so far, there’s no telling what he may have to deal with even if he receives it.  

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