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Gurgaon incidents expose police brutality |
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Last week’s incidents in Gurgaon witnessing clashes between Honda Motorcycle Factory workers and the Police have brought to light the colonial mentality of the police. Protesting workers were brutally beaten up by the police showing that they have not progressed much from the tactics employed by their British colonial masters.
Trouble had been simmering in the Honda motor factory for several weeks over the dismissal of four workers and the suspension of many others. It came to a head on Monday, July 25, when the workers tried to take out a procession in support of their demands including increase in wages and recognition of their Union. Hundreds of protesters and some police personnel were injured, many of them critically, when they clashed with the police trying to disperse them.
Several vehicles belonging to the police and administration were burnt or damaged in the incident. The violence continued the next day also when the workers surrounded the hospital trying to find out the fate of their injured colleagues. The situation worsened as the police and the hospital authorities had not made any arrangement to give information to the families of injured workers who had been hospitalised. There were rumours that some of the workers had been taken away by the Police to other places.
The police high-handedness in dealing with the workers was apparent to viewers of television channels across the country as they showed the police beating workers cowering, and not resisting.
Parliament, which was in session, was shocked at the brazen display of police brutality in Gurgaon, just on the outskirts of the national capital, Delhi. The BJP demanded the resignation of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The Left parties were not far behind and wanted a statement from the Union Government on the violation of the workers’ rights. Some BJP members went so far as to describe the police behaviour as similar to that of the British rulers during the Jalianwala Bagh incident before Independence.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil made a statement, but the Left parties and the Opposition were not satisfied. They described the statement as that of the official spokesperson of the Haryana Government who had just repeated the police version of the incident. They demanded and later got an assurance from the Government that a judicial inquiry would be ordered into the incident. Later the Haryana Government ordered an inquiry by a former High Court judge.
Both the Prime Minister and Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressed deep anguish and concern at the Gurgaon incident. Sonia Gandhi asked Chief Minister Hooda to immediately take remedial measures.
Trade Union organisations called a bandh in Gurgaon on Thursday, July 28, to protest against the police action. The response to the bandh call was mixed. Chief Minister Hooda accused political rivals of aggravating the situation. He said the inquiry commission has been asked to submit its report within three months. Pending the inquiry, the District Magistrate and the Police Chief of Gurgaon district have been asked to go on leave.
The State Government intervened later last week to bring about a settlement between the management and workers of the Hondo Motorcycle and Scooter India Ltd. The agreement between the two sides was signed in the presence of the Chief Minister on Friday, July 29. As per the agreement, all the four dismissed workers and all suspended workers have been reinstated. The workers have agreed not to submit any new demand for the next one year.
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