88 workers arrested for Maruti’s Manesar plant violence

GURGAON/MANESAR: 88 workers have been arrested in connection with the violent incident at Maruti Suzuki India’s Manesar plant, where company’s general Manager was killed, the Gurgaon police said.
Avinashn, Dev, General Manager of Human Resource department. had died in the violent clashes between the workers and the management at the plant on Wednesday evening.
DCP Maheshwar Dayal told reporters that a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Ravinder Tomar with six inspectors to probe the incident.
In order to maintain law and order at the plant, 1,200 policemen have been deployed in and around the area, he added.
Commenting on the number of injured in the violence yesterday, he said: “50 people were injured, including two foreigners who had minor injuries.”
Haryana Director General of Police Ranjiv Singh Dalal, who also inspected the plant this afternoon said: “No justification of such violence can be given. We will soon arrest those who are behind the incident.”
Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said the Manesar plant has been shut down and no production would take place. The plant has an annual capacity of 5.5 lakh units and rolls out Swift, Dzire, SX4 and A-Star models.
Last year a similar agitation had shut down the plant when workers went on a strike. However, it was alleged that some of the union leaders had been paid off leading to the end of the strike.
An official release from the company said it would, “shortly announce our decision on the next steps with regard to resuming operations in these facilities.”
The workers lived in surrounding villages like Nakrola, Khor, Vilaspur, Alihar, Dhana fled as the police raided these villages on Wednesday night. As a result resuming operations here in the short-term period will be a difficult proposition. The facility was producing around 1,700 cars every day.