In Marxist-ruled Bengal if one works on a day the CITU has called a bandh on, one runs the risk of being punished. And to add to the misery, there will be an administration which will turn a deaf ear to one’s pleas for help.That’s exactly what happened to 500 employees, including officers of Haldia Dock Complex under Kolkata Port Trust (KPT), who were punished by CITU for working on a bandh day. The workers had stayed back at the dock complex on the night of February 23 so that they could report for duty the next day when a Left unions-sponsored bandh was called.After their shift when the workers tried to return home last night, they were confronted by a group of belligerent CITU men who would’t allow them to go home as they violated the bandh call. ‘‘CITU workers refused to let us out,’’ Subrata Ghosh, general manager, operations of KPT, Haldia, said. ‘‘Later, they said they would allow only the officers but not the workers. We, the officers did not want to leave the workers in the lurch and so we stayed back, for the second night,’’ Ghosh rued. He said that the police and the administration were informed but none came to help. The administration confirmed the incident. Haldia SDO Santosh Kumar Dev said: ‘‘I received a fax message today morning from the dock administration that was sent last evening. I have asked the police to enquire.’’
