The families of the arrested workers are finding it hard to manage funds to pay the legal fee.
Mahadev, uncle of Madesha (22), who was arrested from Peenya, said it had been more than 10 days since he was in jail. “We have spent over Rs. 20,000 as advocate fee, without getting bail yet,” he said and added that Madesha was picked up by police based on a statement given by his colleagues. Another worker, who was picked up from a factory in Peenya on Wednesday, said that the factory manager had threatened to teach a lesson to some of them for “raising questions against the factory.” The manager then identified these workers when the police visited the factory two days later. The worker’s relative alleged that they had to bribe the police to get him released, without being booked in any case. “However, he was beaten up by the police,” he alleged.
