A cleaning staff of the Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation was allegedly manhandled by a group of people when he tried to prevent them from dumping waste in Amayizhanjan canal here on Wednesday night.

The staff member Deepu sustained injuries to his face and has been admitted to General Hospital. Mayor Arya Rajendran visited Deepu at the hospital. The police were alerted and the autorickshaw in which the gang was travelling has been taken into custody. The details of the assailants are unknown.

The Mayor said that stern legal action will be taken against those who tried to dump waste in the canal and attacked a corporation cleaning staff. The health wing of the civic body has intensified night patrol to check dumping of waste in the canal following the death of a cleaning worker named Joy, who died while cleaning the canal at Thampanoor.

The Mayor said that despite the loss of a human life, attempts to throw waste in the water body and then assault cleaning staff who prevent such acts is a challenge to the legal system.