Mangaluru: While a complaint was filed against reported manual scavenging in Bunder, Mayor Kavitha Sanil denied it and said that it was case of some workers repairing a damaged manhole.

In a complaint to the Mangaluru South Police on Friday, district joint secretary of Democratic Youth Federation of India Nitin Kuthar said that he saw on Thursday morning a person clearing night soil from a manhole using a bucket, with the assistance of his colleague standing above the manhole. This manhole was a few metres away from the Mangaluru North Police Station. He said that manual scavenging was illegal. These workmen were working with bare hands, he said.