Uprooted workers now live in fear of police

DHARUHERA, March 1: They continue to live under fear. The government sticks to its tally of four casualties in the February 19 firing incide...

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DHARUHERA, March 1: They continue to live under fear. The government sticks to its tally of four casualties in the February 19 firing incident, but the disconsolate workers of the Pasupati Spinning and Weaving Mill here are far from convinced.

"Just because we have come from distant places (majority of workers belong to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh), the management thought that one such assault will be enough to wreck us," says Lallan of Unnao in UP. But thanks to the succour provided by the villagers of Kaprivas and Sidhrauli, the tormented workers have re-grouped and stand united. "Swaroopji has been a great help. Not only has he provided foodgrains to us but his emotional backing has been invaluable," says Iswar pointing towards a local landlord in Sidhrauli. "Bharta Ka Kuan", a few metres away from the Jaipur highway, is the place where the workers assemble to decide on the future course of action.

On the intervening night of February 19 and 20, police had opened fire on a group of mill workers, who hadlaid a siege on the factory’s gate and blocked the national highway. Though the official toll was four deaths, the workers allege that more than six persons were killed in the incident.

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Alleges Naushad Khan, a boiler attendant and now a member of the joint action committee (JAC), "The police had dragged some bodies inside the mill compound during the firing. It is hard to say how many, as there was lot of smoke (due to tear-gas shells)." However, he admits that many workers had run away and had not been traced so far.

Deputy Commissioner, Rewari, Navraj Sandhu told The Indian Express, "It is a rumour that more than four persons have been killed. Nobody has been able to prove it. Some workers fled and things will become clear once we tally the company’s pay rolls with the workers present here. We have appointed an executive magistrate to investigate the incident."

Some of the workers maintain that the bodies which were dragged inside by the cops were burnt in the boilers. Interestingly, a seniorleader of the All India Trade Union Congress, H Mahadevan had also alleged this at a public meeting couple of days back.

Questions DC, Rewari, "If some bodies were dragged inside the mill, where have they gone? We have got the mills premises thoroughly checked and found nothing."

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However, the battered and humiliated workers have their own tale to tell. "After the firing, they broke the door of my house open at around 6 a.m., ransacked my house and beat me with lathis,?" says a worker, showing his plastered left arm and leg.

Hare Ram of Baliya in UP alleged, "They broke the tin-roof of my house and thrashed me". However, the police denied the atrocities.

The mill workers, since then, have vacated their colonies and are living in nearby villages. "The villagers are feeding us and providing shelter but I don’t know how long this can continue," says Naushad Khan.

The workers have planned to stage a massive demonstration outside the spinning mill on March 5. "The JAC will then negotiate with the millmanagement on the compensation to firing victims and the injured," says Khan.

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The management, in a meeting with the Deputy Labour Commissioner had agreed to give Rs one lakh each to the kin of deceased and Rs 20,000 to the seriously injured. However, this offer has been rejected by the JAC.

Meanwhile an air of uncertainty and tension hangs heavy as the Pasupati Mill stands heavily guarded by a posse of about 250 policemen.