The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a protest march towards the corporation office over the death of sanitation worker Christopher Joy, who died while cleaning the Amayizhanjan canal in Thampanoor, Thiruvananthapuram. The police also used water cannons on the BJP workers who were protesting against the death of Joy.
Joy was a municipal corporation worker who tragically died while cleaning the Amayizhanjan canal in Thampanoor, Thiruvananthapuram. On July 15, Joy's body was found after being missing in the drainage canal for 46 hours, officials said. Meanwhile, the Kerala Cabinet granted Rs. 10 lakh as compensation from the Chief Minister's Relief Funds to Christopher Joy's mother on Wednesday.
"The body had been spotted at the canal stretch behind the Sree Chitra Home at Thakarapparambu. The police and municipal authorities were informed," said the Councillor of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Rajendran. Talking to ANI, one of the workers said, "At 9:30 am, we went to search and were among the first people to find the body. The dead body was found between Uppalamoodu and Thakarapparambu."
He added that the body was swept away due to the heavy rains. "It seems the body was swept away due to yesterday's heavy rain," he said. Personnel of the Fire Force, National Disaster Response Force and the Indian Navy were engaged in the rescue operations of the deceased.
Scuba diving personnel were deployed into the tunnel and even entered the manholes between the railway tracks to locate the worker but due to the solid waste stuck in the canal, their movements were difficult. Additionally, a robot was also fitted with a camera and sent. However, the rescue operation was unsuccessful. Joy's body was retrieved after 46 hours from the canal. 42-year-old Joy was hired by Southern Railways to clean the Aamayizhanjan canal waterway near the Thiruvananthapuram Railway Station. Earlier, on July 16, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan visited and met the family of Joy. Khan also consoled the deceased's family during his visit. (ANI)