One labourer died and another was critically injured after the two fell into a municipal sewer manhole during drainage clearance work in Santacruz East.

The incident took place on Monday. Both men were privately hired workers. Emergency services pulled them out, but one could not be saved.

Police said the workers were not given safety gear, raising fresh questions about manual sewer cleaning despite the legal ban on the practice. Officers are checking who hired the men and whether safety rules were ignored. The contractor's role is under scrutiny.

An investigation is underway. The deaths add to a long list of sanitation worker fatalities in Mumbai that have drawn court and activist attention, and a case may be registered against the contractor.

Activists said contractors routinely send workers into sewers without machines or gear. The Bombay High Court has in the past ordered compensation for such deaths. Activists have demanded the statutory Rs 30 lakh compensation for the family.