Tension prevailed in the special economic zone (SEZ) of the industrial area in Hassan on Wednesday when the protest by staff of a garment unit against their employers turned violent. The police resorted to lathi-charge and burst teargas shells, and also opened fire in the air to control the mob.
As many as seven policemen suffered injuries and many vehicles belonging to the police and the media were damaged.
The employees of Himanthsingka Linens began the protest around 9.30 a.m. alleging harassment by a senior executive of the company. The company has a production unit with nearly 4,000 employees in the SEZ. The employees, a majority of whom are natives of north Indian States, demanded payment of their salary dues so that they could return home.
The protest turned violent when some security guards employed by the company hit the employees with canes. Understanding that the situation was going out of control, the police resorted to lathi-charge. The workers, in retaliation, threw stones at the gate. As there were only a handful of policemen, they found it difficult to handle the situation.
The angry protesters broke the window panes of cars parked nearby and pushed two-wheelers. They threw stones at a police van. As they attempted to set the vehicle on fire, the policemen inside the vehicle burst teargas shells. Additional SP B.N. Nandini and other officers rushed to the spot. The situation was then brought under control.
Speaking to the media, the protesters alleged that five employees were assaulted by the company executives attached to the HR Division on Tuesday night. They alleged that one among those assaulted was missing, adding that he must have been killed by the executives. Further, they said a lady employee also went missing after she collapsed while on the job three weeks ago. “The executive makes employees work 12 hours a day. They are not allowed to take rest. Many of us have been beaten up for small mistakes,” said Shivam, an employee from Bihar. All the employees are kept in hostels maintained by the company. They have restrictions on going out even on holidays.
“The hostels resemble prisons. We have no freedom to go out or talk on phones. For the last two years, many have suffered brutality in the company, but we did not have a forum to express our sufferings,” said another protester.
