Chennai, August 14, 2025— In a dramatic midnight operation on the night of August 13, Chennai police detained approximately 800 sanitation workers who had been staging a sit-in protest for 13 consecutive days outside the Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) Ripon Building headquarters NewKerala.com@mathrubhumidtnext.
The demonstrators, employed under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM), had set up camp since August 1 to oppose the GCC’s decision to privatise waste collection in Royapuram (Zone 5) and Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar (Zone 6) NewKerala.comThe News Minute@mathrubhumi. Their main concerns included job insecurity and potential exploitation under private contractors NewKerala.comThe News Minute@mathrubhumi.
Following an order from the Madras High Court instructing authorities to clear the protest site, police launched the eviction operation at approximately 11:30 PM, sweeping the protest within 45 minutes by boarding them onto 13 – 14 buses @mathrubhumidtnextNewKerala.comNews9live. Protesters were taken to nearby community halls and wedding venues in Neelankarai, Velachery, Mount Road, and Kotturpuram dtnext.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes: many chanting “Jai Bhim,” some women fainting and requiring medical attention, and swift clearance of protest materials by municipal staff soon after dtnextNews9live. Police presence of over 500 officers encircled the area during the operation News9live.
Earlier attempts to resolve the deadlock had failed. Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru, Mayor R. Priya, and GCC Commissioner J. Kumaragurubaran, along with other officials, met with protest leaders but could not reach a settlement The New Indian Expressdtnext.
Mayor R. Priya reiterated that the Ripon Building was not a designated protest site and claimed the government had offered assurances regarding job security and existing wages, but protesters remained firm in their demand for a complete rollback of the privatization plan dtnextThe News Minute.
The protest had significant backing from labour unions, including AICCTU, AITUC, Left Trade Union Congress (LTUC), and Labour Progressive Union (LPU), as well as political parties such as CPI, CPI(M), DMDK, TVK, PMK, and TNBSP NewKerala.comThe News Minute.
Senior BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan condemned the eviction on social media, calling it brutal and expressing dismay over women fainting and the Chief Minister allegedly watching a film instead of engaging with protesters NewKerala.com@mathrubhumi.
The protest underscores long-simmering tension over working conditions: previous reports highlight that sanitation workers, many from Dalit communities, earn between ₹22,590 under GCC and fear a drop to roughly ₹15,000 net pay under contractors, despite deductions The News Minute.
With the protest site cleared by midnight, the future of waste management in Zones 5 and 6 remains unresolved, even as workers vow to continue their struggle. The August 31 deadline set by the GCC to resume work adds political urgency to the dispute
