Dunlop workers ransack CITU office

kolkata: five office-bearers of the cpm-affiliated centre of indian trade unions (citu), including its dunlop unit secretary dipankar roy, were injured on tuesday when nearly 200 dunlop workers and their family members ransacked the citu office at sahagunge in protest against the closure of the tyre factory. bedlam was let loose at the factory premises at around 11 am when workers, agitated over not receiving their long-pending wages, stormed into the citu office and ransacked the furniture. they later set fire to the office. union leaders attending the meeting bore the brunt of the workers' anger as they were severely beaten up. dipankar roy, secretary of citu's dunlop unit, was admitted to chinsurah general hospital with severe head injuries. his condition was said to be critical in the late afternoon. the district police officials rushed to the factory and the forces remained posted for the rest of the day. soon after the incident, the hooghly district police swung into action, arresting six people in this connection. the police said the agitated workers attacked the office when the citu executive committee meeting was in progress. the workers and their family members present at the factory premises alleged that the trade unions were concerned about gaining political mileage, and not in the interest of workers. the citu state unit has alleged that the attack was pre-planned and was engineered by a group of local trinamul activists. the citu declared that it would observe november 1, thursday, as a 'protest day' at sahagunge. citu hooghly district general secretary dilip chatterjee told tnn that some local trinamul leaders misled the frustrated workers who in turn became violent and attacked the citu leaders in the midst of the on-going meeting. kali ghosh, citu central committee member said the management of the dunlop india ltd has been trying to fish in troubled water. this attack proves that the owner is reluctant to run the company. he reiterated trinamul congress hand in the incident. denying the citu allegation, trinamul mp of srirampur akbar ali khondekar said, "trinamul has nothing to do with this incident. the workers were agitated over the deprivation meted out to them for long. we fear similar kind of violent agitation in the hindustan motors factory".