Uneasy calm at Panipat expansion site

PANIPAT: Uneasy calm prevailedon Saturday at the expansion site of Panipat Refinery 20 Km from here whereirate crowd of daily labourers have set ablaze four vehicles of a RhizoneEngineers Pvt Ltd - a privately managed engineering company which is engaged inexpansion work in Panipat Refinery. Dr Suman Manjri- District policechief, Panipat told TNN that 13 employees including some hired goons of thecompany have been arrested on charges of criminal intimidation and illegalconfinement. Besides, a cross case is being registered against a group oflabourers who indulged in arson, looting and torching the vehicles of thecompany on Friday. Dr Manjri maintained that the incident has causeda loss of Rs. 36 Lakh to the company. The police have started investigationsfrom today to identify labourers who indulged in setting ablaze thecompany’s property and vehicles. The District Police stated that all the13 employees of the company including hired goondas would have been roasted todeath in company’s office yesterday where they had bolted themselves tosave themselves from ire of the angry labourers. Dr Manjri claimedonly police intervention saved the situation. Police force was called fromSamalkha, Mathloda, Gharaunda and Panipat areas. Enquiries made by TNN show thatsimmering discontent amongst the labourers for quite some time resulted intoprovocative and ugly situation on Friday. Basically highhandedattitude of Rhizone Company’s contractor Mahabir resulted into this.Labourers including Munna, Chatra, Desraj and Brijesh told this reporter thatthe contractor never paid wages of the hired labourers in time, not only theywere beaten and humiliated but wages were given as per the whims of thecontractor. Ajit and Om Prakash alleged that the contractors hiredgoons thrashed the labour if anybody dared to speak and raise voice. In fact,the political clout of Mahabir encouraged him to indulge into this nefariousactivity. Rhizone is owned by a former Member of Parliament from Uttar Pardesh.Most of the labourers are also from UP, Bihar and Bengal etc. Angrylabourers had also stopped work on Thursday to protest against thecontractor’s attitude. On Friday morning when the labourers resumed workhired goondas of Mahabir who descended on spot in Tata Safari and a car beat uptwo welders labourers Nishan Singh and Amit, Nishan Singh has a fractured arm.The incident provoked the labourers and angry mob of over 3000 went afterMahabir and his men. They bolted them in company’s office andirate labour force torched the vehicles and set the office on fire. Thelabourers could be pacified only when the police gave a shoe-beating on road tothe goondas and company employees.