Hero Honda Workers Turn Violent, And Gurgaon Cops Give Them A Good Thrashing
By Sanjay Sharma, Section Gurgaon Police Posted on Mon Jul 25, 2005 at 07:40:49 PM EST
Gurgaon Protestors attack police officials, burn cars
400 (probably more) injured in ensuing lathicharge by police
Haryana CM orders inquiry
From The Indian Express: Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda has ordered Gurgaon Divisional Commissioner Avtar Singh to begin a probe into the clash between violent workers and enraged police. Around 70 people were arrested for rioting and arson and another 300 rounded up as a preventive action.
- The trouble began when a procession was taken out by workers of a Honda factory at Manesar from Kamla Nehru Park at 11 am. The crowd was intercepted by a police team, led by the Gurgaon Sub-Divisional Magistrate, J.S. Sangwan, and Deputy Superintendent of Police Jagpravesh Dahiya, near the Kalyani Hospital on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road.
- When asked to call off the procession, the protestors turned violent and attacked the officers. They set the SDMs jeep and a police motorcycle on fire and damaged other vehicles parked nearby. The SDM, DSP, and Inspector Ravinder Kumar were also assaulted by the mob. While an outnumbered police force ran for cover, the protestors went on a rampage through MG Road, damaging buildings and vehicles. Within an hour, the protestors reached Gurgaons Mini Secretariat on the Delhi-Jaipur highway.
- Addressing the media later, Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner Sudhir Rajpal said: The administration was neither informed about the procession nor was any permission sought. When it became abundantly clear that their intentions were not of a peaceful protest, we had to take action.
- It was here that the police turned on the protestors with a lathicharge lasted 45 minutes. Excessive force used by the police to stop a 1000-strong workers protest which turned Gurgaon into a battleground. At least 400 people including over 350 protestors were injured. The condition of some are serious. Unconfirmed reports say that the figure could be higher.
- Meanwhile, the Gurgaon administration called for help from the neighbouring districts.
The dispute between the workers and the management of Honda Scooters is over action taken against 54 employees, of whom four have been dismissed and 50 suspended, said Rajpal. We have tried everything to get both sides to reach a solution, Rajpal said. Also, what is the justification in targeting government machinery when the dispute is between the management and the workers, he added.
On July 23, protestors had blocked the National Highway 8. Sources said police had registered cases against some union leaders, which reportedly caused a lot of anguish among the protestors and is believed to be one of the reasons that precipitated todays crisis.
"Unfortunate, but employees will be reinstated only after probe," Hero Honda maintains.
(Click on "Full Story" for more.)
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Honda motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) today said it will not reinstate any of its suspended workers without completion of an inquiry.
Even though todays incident is unfortunate, we cannot take back any of the suspended employees till a third-party inquiry against them is completed, said a company official from its factory in Manesar. The company had been in the grip of a major labour unrest for over a month now. The official refused to comment on the clash, saying, this is an event that has taken place outside our factory premises. Asked whether the firm was ready to provide financial assistance to those injured, he said it could be considered in case a specific request came in.
The unrest has seen the company, a fully-owned subsidiary of Japans auto major Honda Motor Co., suffer huge losses due to production being scaled back. A company official told Reuters that production had suffered after workers decided to go slow from May.
We have suffered a loss of Rs 2.5 billion, he said. HMSI, which has more than 2,000 workers on its rolls, used to produce an average of 2,000 scooters and motors but the number fell to 400 units a day during May and June because of the agitation, the official said.
The company currently makes 1,000 units a day, he added. Company workers had gone on a strike demanding higher wages. Earlier this month, the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) threw its weight behind the companys trade union.
AITUC general secretary and CPI MP Gurudas Das Gupta had taken the stand that workers were being victimised for forming a trade union. Barely half of the companys labour force is reported to be working after the agitation began. Agencies
Political Reactions:
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed deep anguish. Only an inquiry could say whether the police had acted in haste, an official spokesperson said.
She (Sonia Gandhi) has directed the Chief Minister to inquire and take appropriate action against those responsible for this incident, said Janardhan Dwivedi, AICC general secretary.
Randeep Singh Surjewala, Haryana Minister for Industries, said the incident was condemnable, but it should be kept in mind that three police vehicles were set ablaze.
Demanding that the government step down immediately, Ajay Chautala of INLD compared todays incident with Jallianwala Bagh massacre
NDA convenor George Fernandes said the issue will find an echo in Parliament
From The Indian Express - July 26, 2005
Honda workers turn violent, cops go berserk
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