MANESAR, July 19:
Police today arrested 100 workers of the Maruti Suzuki’s plant here in connection with yesterday’s violence in which a senior company official, was killed and 50 others were injured.
The charred body of the official, who was caught in the violence triggered by a scuffle over suspension of an employee after a heated exchange of words, was today identified as that of Awanish Kumar Dev, General Manager HR at the plant.
Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said the plant has been shut down and no production would take place. The plant, which has an annual capacity of 5.5 lakh units and rolls out Swift, Dzire, SX4 and A-Star models, witnessed strikes on three occasions last year.
In Chandigarh, Haryana Industry Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala said that nearly 100 people had been arrested so far. A couple of more arrests is likely.
“They have been arrested for various charges including murder, attempt to murder and destruction of property,” the minister told here when he was asked about government’s action with regard to violence at the plant.
Haryana Chief Secretary P K Chaudhery said that taking a serious view of the incident of violence at Maruti’s Manesar plant, the State Government has formed a SIT under Assistant Commissioner of Police, Gurgaon, Ravinder Tomar, to investigate the matter.
He gave an assurance that no one would be spared for taking law into his hands and resorting to violence.
Stating that it was the state government’s priority to ensure restoration of law and order, Surjewala and State’s Labour Minister, Shivcharan Lal Sharma asserted that no amount of provocation could justify workers indulging in violence and destruction of property.
“The government is committed to help restore order in the unit. We hope things should normalise soon,” Sharma said.
Asked whether state government saw any vested interest behind a string of industrial unrest incidents occurring at the company’s plant, Surjewala said, “In Gurgaon-Manesar, there are certain type of political thoughts that have cropped in to derail (state’s industrial) development as these elements are envious of (state’s) progress (at industrial front).”However, the Industry minister said the Labour Department would soon launch a reconciliation exercise between workers and management once the situation turns conducive for talks.Opposition INLD slammed the Hooda government, saying it had failed to tackle the workers’ issue in the past as well.
“We fear that the government’s inept handling may force Maruti to shift its base. It is not only the Maruti issue, but this government has failed on all fronts,” INLD President and former Chief Minister, Om Prakash Chautala said here.
In order to maintain law and order at the Manesar plant, 1,200 policemen have been deployed in and around the area,,” DCP Maheshwar Dayal said.(PTI)
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