5 Key Takeaways
- R. Aneesha, a Swiggy gig worker, was seriously injured in a 2023 road accident and eventually had her leg amputated in August 2026 after repeated infections.
- Swiggy initially refused to cover more than the ₹2 lakh insurance for her over ₹5 lakh medical bill, paying the rest only after gig workers' unions protested.
- Aneesha says company support stopped after the first surgery, preventing her from continuing needed treatment.
- Swiggy says a government disability certificate is required, while Aneesha says she submitted a private-hospital certificate, leaving her in a documentation deadlock.
- The case highlights gig workers' vulnerability: limited insurance, reliance on union pressure and company discretion, loss of livelihood, and uncertain support.
A Swiggy Delivery Worker Lost Her Leg After a 2023 Road Accident. She Says Help Stopped After the First Surgery.
August 29, 2026
When R. Aneesha set out on her two-wheeler on December 23, 2023, it was an ordinary day of food delivery work in Thiruvananthapuram. She had been working with Swiggy for three years, earning enough to support her family. A tipper lorry hit her from behind near Peroorkada, and its tyres ran over one of her legs. What followed was a long chain of surgeries, repeated infections, and eventually the amputation of her leg earlier this month. By late August 2026, the 33-year-old was recuperating at a private hospital in Marthandam, Tamil Nadu, and questioning why the company had stopped helping her.
A gig worker is someone who takes up flexible, short-term work, often through digital platforms, rather than holding a traditional salaried job. Aneesha’s case shows how difficult that arrangement can become after a serious workplace injury. She used to travel every day from her village Mancode in Kanniyakumari district in Tamil Nadu to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala for her delivery work. That daily routine ended with the accident.
An Ordinary Delivery Shift Turns Catastrophic
The crash caused severe damage to one of Aneesha’s legs. Doctors performed plastic surgery by grafting flesh from her other leg. The medical bill came to more than ₹5 lakh. Swiggy initially refused to pay anything beyond the ₹2 lakh health insurance cover, she said. Only after gig workers’ unions protested did the company agree to pay the remaining amount.
In an interview with The Hindu, Aneesha described what happened after the initial surgery.
“Plastic surgery was done to the affected leg by grafting flesh from the other leg. The company refused to pay anything more than the ₹2 lakh health insurance, although the bill amount was over ₹5 lakh. After the gig workers’ unions protested, they agreed to pay the remaining amount. But after that there was no support from the company’s side, even though I sustained these serious injuries while I was working for the company. As the only earning member of the family, things have been difficult since then. Fellow gig workers have helped me occasionally to take care of the huge medical bills.”
Initial Help, Then a Cutoff
After the initial support ended, Aneesha says she could not continue the treatment her injured leg needed. The leg became severely infected. On August 11, doctors amputated it. She says she informed Swiggy officials, but their only response was that they would look into the matter.
She was discharged four days ago, but she remains at the hospital because she does not have money to pay the bill. Other gig workers have helped pay for medicines.
“Though I have informed Swiggy officials, they only said they will look into it. I was discharged four days ago, but I am continuing at the hospital since I don’t have money to pay the bill. Other gig workers helped to pay for the medicines.”
The Company’s Response and a Documentation Deadlock
Sainu, the fleet manager of Swiggy in Thiruvananthapuram, acknowledged that company authorities have been informed. He said he visited Aneesha in the hospital two days ago and reported the situation. According to Sainu, one issue is that she has not been able to submit a disability certificate. He said that although there are documentation issues, the company is doing its level best, and some processes naturally take time.
“I had visited her in the hospital two days ago and reported the scenario to the company. One of the issues is that she has not been able to submit a disability certificate. Even though there are such issues with the documentation, the company is doing its level best. Some of these processes will naturally take some time.”
Aneesha says she already submitted a disability certificate from the private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where the initial surgery was done. However, Swiggy has insisted that the certificate must be from a government institution. This has become a bureaucratic tangle. Union representatives contacted Health department officials in Kerala, but they said they could not issue the certificate because Aneesha resides in Tamil Nadu. Her attempts to get a certificate from Tamil Nadu have also been unsuccessful.
What Happens Next
For now, Aneesha is unable to work. She is the sole earning member of a household that includes her mother, her grandmother, and her sister’s child. She has no clear answer on when or whether Swiggy will provide further support. The immediate challenge is clearing the hospital bill and continuing recovery after an amputation.
Longer term, she faces the loss of her livelihood and an uncertain path for her family. Her experience points to the wider vulnerabilities of gig workers, whose work is essential to the platform economy but whose safety net often depends on limited insurance, union pressure, and company discretion. Aneesha remains at the private hospital in Marthandam, unsure of what the future holds.
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