Workers lathi charged in Gorakhpur, 25 workers badly injured, 73 workers arrested

Workers lathi charged in Gorakhpur, 25 workers badly injured, 73 workers arrested along with their leader Tapish whose whereabouts are still unknown

The administration is blatantly supporting the factory owners – has not shown any inclination to dialogue, administration adamant on suppressing the movement and disbanding the striking activists

An independent team of journalists and social workers reaches Gorakhpur to carry out an investigation

Gorakhpur, 20 May. The Workers' Satyagraha which started in Gorakhpur from May 16 was dealt with lathi charge today by a heavy police force in the presence of the DIG. Police arrested 73 workers and one of their leaders Tapish Maindola but there is still no official word about their arrest. Tapish has been arrested on the basis of a concocted FIR lodged by factory owner Ashok Jalan in relation to the incident of firing by his hired goons in which 19 workers were injured. Serious charges under different sections of IPC have been pressed on him including attempt to murder, rioteering etc. The administration is unabashedly siding with the factory owners. The workers had submitted a complaint to the police naming the factory owner Ashok Jalan, history-sheeter Pradeep Singh and others as responsible for the incident of firing but the police have taken no action on their complaint instead they have arrested workers' leader Tapish Maindola on the false FIR of the factory owner Ashok Jalan. Ashok Jalan had stated that Tapish and other workers themselves were involved in the firing on the workers, however, news reports from media clearly say that the firing was done from inside the factory, and it was a well planned attack. The workers' union has expressed concern for the life of their leader Tapish.

In the meanwhile 50 workers who had gone to protest against the arrest of workers at the DM office were heavily lathi charged and 25 workers sustained injuries.

 In the afternoon today about 500 workers taking part in a peaceful demonstration for their legal rights were detained near Gorakhnath Temple here. All 500 workers had tied themselves with a long rope and they sat at the same spot in protest where a heavy police force in the leadership of the DIG had stopped them. According to latest updates, the police resorted to  lathi charge and dispersed the workers arresting 73 of them. But the police did not officially record the arrest of 30 of them and their leader Tapsih. Despite this about 250 workers are still sitting on a dharna at the townhall near Gandhi statue.



It is noteworthy that Tapish was arrested from some other place as he was not a part of the procession. He has been taken to some undisclosed location and the workers fear for his life and safety. It should be known that some police and administrative officials had been continuously warning the workers' leaders of 'dire consequences'. They had been particularly targeting Tapish, Pramod Kumar and Prashant and branding them as 'moists-terrorists'. Even two years ago these leaders had been dealt brutal physical attack by the administration and it is said that the police were planning to kill them in false encounters. However they had to retreat after severe condemnation from all over the country gained momentum and the officers came under huge public pressure. But the administration seems hell-bent on suppressing this movement this time. Under such circumstances there is clear danger to the life and security of Tapish.



The hunger strike was initiated since the morning of 16th May on the demands of the arrest of the accused of the firing incident on 3rd May, action against the guilty officers, judicial enquiry of firing and repression, compensation to the injured workers and ending the lock out in the two factories of V.N. Dyers and reinstatement of all the 18 dismissed workers. Suheela Devi, mother of a worker, three workers - Bindweshwar Rai, Susheel Srivastava and Mahesh Pathak and women activist Shweta are sitting on hunger strike and among them the condition of Susheela, Shweta and Mahesh Pathak has worsened. On the night of 18 May the administration forcibly took away Mahesh Pathak and admitted him to the district hospital but he continued his fast even there and on the morning of 19thMay he again came back and joined the hunger strike.  

Hundreds of workers of the area also have been present day and night on the spot. Meanwhile the administration is acting in favour of the factory owners and is hell bent on ending the hunger strike and dharna and is not paying any attention to the demands of workers. Two rounds of unsuccessful talks were held on the first day in which the owners were adamant on not taking back the dismissed workers. After that the administration did not make any attempt for dialogue. Even last night, police force in the leadership of the top officials of police and administration was prepared to remove the workers from the spot. Sensing this, huge number of workers sitting on dharna tied each other through big ropes. When police saw that the workers could not be removed from the spot without the use of heavy force, it withdrew.

The administration and owners had to relent in face of the massive public pressure and resolute struggle of the workers after the 3 May firing and brutal police repression of workers  in Gorakhpur, and the workers achieved a partial victory. All the 18 workers of Ankur Udyog who were dismissed after they went to participate in the May Day rally in Delhi were taken back and the factory started from May 11.  But the owners of VN Dyers Ltd. are  adamant on their demands. Even the administration was making no attempt to call the owners for talks. They wanted to break the movement by tiring out the workers. But the workers are ready to fight it out.

The workers staged a bicycle rally in the Gorakhpur city today to gather popular support in favour of the workers’ agitation. Even the workers of GIDA industrial area staged a demonstration in their area in support of the agitation. The workers of various factories of Bargadwa are planning to stage a huge demonstration.

Meanwhile an investigation team of journalists and social activists reached Gorakhpur to investigate the incident of firing on workers, their repression and the accusations of violation of labour laws. The members of the investigation team also went to the spot and talked to the workers.

The strong condemnation of the continued repressive attitude of administration towards the workers agitation going on for more than two weeks and its neglect by Uttar Pradesh government is building momentum once again.

We will try to keep you updated of any new developments. Please call on these numbers and ask the Gorakhpur officials to stop the repression immediately and listen to workers' demands:

Div. Commissioner, Gkp, Mr K. Ravindra Nair: 09454400207

District Masgistrate, AK Shukla: 09454417544

DIG: 09454417500

City Magistrate, JK Singh: 09454416213

Commissioner                                    

Office of the Commissioner

Collectrate, Gorakhpur - 273001

0551 - 2338817 (Fax)

Gorakhpur (0551)      

Divisional Commissioner

2333076/2335238 (off)

2336022 (Res)

2338817 (Fax) 

9454417500

District Magistrate                              

Office of the District Magistrate

Collectrate, Gorakhpur - 273001

0551 - 2334569 (Fax)

City Magistrate: J.K. Singh

9454416213

Dy Inspector General of Police         

Cantt., Gorakhpur:
09454400207

0551 - 2201187 / 2333442

DLC, S.P. Shukla 

Labour Office, Civil Lines, Gorakhpur-273001

09453043030

Governor, BL Joshi

Raj Bhavan, Lucknow-226001

0522-2220331, 2236992, 2220494
Fax: 0522-2223892

Special Secretary to Governor: 0522-2236113

Km. Mayawati,

Chief Minister

Fifth Floor, Secretariat Annexe

Lucknow-226001

0522 - 2235733, 2239234 (Fax)

0522 - 2236181, 2239296, 2215501 (Office)

0522 - 2236838 2236985 (Res)

Shri Badshah Singh :                         

Labour Minister,  Department of Labour

Secretariat , Lucknow

0522 - 2238925 (Fax)

Deepak Kumar Singh
Home Secretary
09454405003

Principal Secretary, Labour               

Department of Labour

Secretariat, Lucknow - 226001

0522 - 2237831 (Fax)

Anand Kumar Singh
joint secretary
9415159087

Gorakhpur (0551)      

Divisional Commissioner
09454417500       

2333076, 2335238 (off)

2336022 (Res)

Workers' Struggle Continues in Gorakhpur

Relay Hunger Strike against lockout in two factories and dismissal of 18 workers continues at the Town Hall

Administration and owners under pressure but adamant, workers also ready for a long drawn fight

Gorakhpur, 13th of May. The administration and owners had to relent in face of the massive public pressure and resolute stuggle of the workers after the 3 May firing and brutal police repression of workers  in Gorakhpur, and the workers achieved a partial victory. All the 18 workers of Ankur Udyog who were dismissed after they went to participate in the May Day rally in Delhi have been taken back and the factory started from May 11.  But the owners are adamant on the demand to end the illegal lock-out in two factories of VN Dyers Ltd. in Bargadwa area and reinstatement of the 18 dismissed workers from these two mills. Even the administration has made no attempt to call the owners for talks. Clearly, they want to break the movement by tiring out the workers. But the workers are also ready to fight it out. Due to the feeling of solidarity developed over two years among the workers of Bargadwa, workers from different factories are participating in the relay hunger strike.

The 'workers satyagraha' launched on 9 May was postponed after some of the demands were met, but the relay hunger strike is continuing since then. The demands include arrest of the accused of the firing, action against the guilty officials, judicial inquiry into the firing and repression, compensation to the workers and ending the lockout in VN Dyers and revocation of all dismissed workers. On two occasions the police arrested 5 and 12 workers sitting on hunger strike but released them after the workers protested. 

Meanwhile, various democratic organisations and trade unions of Gorakhpur are preparing for a joint demonstration in support of the workers' movement. Workers of several factories of the the GIDA industrial area have also announced their support to the movement. Preparations have been made to file a petition in the Allahabad High Court and Gorakhpur court to demand an inquiry.

In the meantime, condemnation of the repression of workers of Gorakhpur and support for their movement continues from all over the country.

Resolute struggle of workers and public pressure ensure a partial victory for labour movement in Gorakhpur

All 18 dismissed workers from Ankur Udyog taken back, factory will start from tomorrow
Agitation will continue to demand arrest of main accused of the firing, compensation to injured workers from government, revoke false cases and order a judicial inquiry
Second phase of 'Workers Satyagraha' will be launched if demands are not met

The resolute struggle of workers of Gorakhpur in the face of brutal repression by the police and administration and widespread condemnation and public pressure forced the administration and the factory owners on the back foot and ensured a partial victory for the workers agitation in Gorakhpur. The workers were agitating since May 3 when 19 workers were injured in firing by criminals hired by a factory owner.
           The administration came under pressure after severe condemnation from all quarters of lathi charge on workers going for peaceful 'workers satyagraha' to the commissioner's office, arrests and beatings and misbehaviour with women workers and hundreds of workers starting a hunger strike at the town hall. The officials released all the detained leaders and workers by late evening yesterday and brought the factory owners for talks. The dharna was suspended last night after the owners agreed on some demands and formal talks were decided to be held today. A group of 25 workers had symbolically continued the hunger strike which was to be rejoined by a large number of workers if the talks failed.
           The owners agreed to take back all the 18 workers dismissed from Ankur Udyog and start the factory from tomorrow in talks held today in presence of the deputy labour commissioner. However the stalemate continued on the issue of the 18 workers dismissed from two factories of VN Dyers ltd.
           The Joint Workers Rights Struggle Front spearheading the agitation has said that the agitation will continue on the demands to arrest the main accused of the firing and action against the officials who helped them, compensation from the government to the workers, revocation of all false cases on workers and a judicial inquiry into the incidents of firing as well as the brutal repression unleashed on 9 May. A second phase of 'Workers Satyagraha' will be launched if the demands are not met soon.
         The brutal repression of the workers yesterday has attracted widespread condemnation from national and international forums and individuals. Eminent jurists, intellectuals, social activists and people associated with working class movements from all over the country expressed their anger to Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati through hundreds of faxes, emails, phone calls and memorandums and have demanded that the cycle of repression be stooped immediately, judicial probe be ordered into the incident, the demands of the workers be fulfilled and quick action be taken against the culprits. PUCL and PUDR have announced to send their enquiry teams to Gorakhpur and some independent investigative teams comprising senior journalists and social activists shall soon leave for Gorakhpur to gather facts.
           This small victory against the oppression of the nexus of factory-owners-administration-communal forces has become possible due to huge public outrage and public pressure but the workers of Gorakhpur have still a long battle to fight and they need the support of all justice loving people and social activists. The workers have obtained some relief from repression but their basic demands have still not been fulfilled. No factory in the region implements any of the labour laws. The workers are deprived even of basic facilities like minimum wage, ESI, PF, Job card and are forced into long hours of overtime. The labour department keeps its eyes shut against such oppression and lawlessness. Unless these basic demands of the workers are addressed their resentment will keep coming to the surface in form of such movements from time to time.
           Joint Workers' Rights Struggle Front has warned that if the factory owners try to renege on their words and fail to give the workers their constitutional rights as before or if they try to victimise worker's leaders then they should be ready to face the consequences.
The front expressed gratitude to the jurists, journalists, intellectuals and social activists for their timely help and has appealed to all to support the workers of Gorakhpur in their struggle for justice.

For,

Citizen's Front in Support of Gorakhpur Worker's Movement

Contacts: 9936650658 (Katyayani), 9910462009 (Satyam), 8447011935 (Sandeep)

E-mail: satyamvarma@gmail.com, sandeep.samwad@gmail.com

PHOTOGRAPHS

district administration today attacked the peaceful demonstration of workers in Gorakhpur, leaders arrested

The district administration today attacked the peaceful demonstration of workers in Gorakhpur who were proceeding to the Divisional Commissioner's office to start a Mazdoor Satyagrah to demand justice in the case of firing on workers injuring 19 workers and a girl student.

Around 800 workers, including a number of women workers, had assembled in the FCI ground near the Bargadwa industrial area in Gorakhpur for the program announced and intimated to the officials 4 days before. As soon as they tried to proceed they were stopped by lathi (cane) wielding policemen and two of their leaders Prashant and Shweta were arrested. When the procession went ahead the police charged them with lathis and water cannons. 

The workers are trying to regroup after every attack and are slowly but resolutely proceeding towards the commissioner's office. The workers have decided to stage a sit-in at the commissioner's office till their demands are met. The situation is tense and the adamant attitude of the officials may may lead to further violence from the administration.

We will try to keep you updated of any new developments. Please call on these numbers and ask the Gorakhpur officials to stop the repression immediately and listen to workers' demands:

Div. Commissioner, Gkp, Mr K. Ravindra Nair: 09454400207

District Masgistrate, AK Shukla: 09454417544

DIG: 09454417500

City Magistrate, JK Singh: 09454416213

Widespread condemnation of firing on workers in Gorakhpur and the repressive attitude of district administration: Jurists, intellectuals, social activists and trade union leaders demand immediate intervention by the Chief Minister

Press Release

New Delhi, 7 May — Eminent jurists, intellectuals, social activists, human rights advocates and trade union leaders today expressed shock that no action has been taken on the accused of the firing on workers in Gorakhpur on May 3 and the administration is bent upon targeting the workers and labour leaders instead. They have appealed to the Chief Minister of UP, Mayawati to intervene and ensure justice to workers. It may be recalled that 19 workers were injured in the incident when criminal hired by a factory owner fired on their demonstration, one of the workers is still in a serious condition.

            The issue was also raise in the national seminar on state repression which began here and it was announced that a joint fact-finding team of PUCL and other organisations will be sent to Gorakhpur as soon as possible.

            The petition sent to the UP CM has four demands including instituting a judicial inquiry into the incident. The main signatories on the petition include:  Justice Rajinder Sachar, Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, national president of PUCL Dr Prabhakar Sinha, its national general secretary Pushkar Raj, well-known filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, famous Hindi poet and executive editor of Public Agenda Mangalesh Dabral, editor of Samayantar Pankaj Bisht, poet Pankaj Singh, Ram Puniyani of All India Secular Forum, ex-Vice Chancellor of Lucknow University Dr. Rooprekha Verma, President of Ludhiana Bar Association Ashok Mittal, Kuldeep Singh and Narinder Singh of Democratic Lawyers Association Punjab, Harvilas Singh of MCPI Punjab, Prof Ish Misha and Prof PK Vijayan of Delhi University, Prof BR Bapuji and Dr Shubhdeep of Hyderabad University, historian from Kolkata Devabrata Bannerjee, Prof Gurbhagwan Gill of Punjabi University, Bhupinder Singh of CTU Workers Union, Chandigarh, Ranjeet Singh of Chandigarh Sub-ordinate Serviecs Employees Federation, Khushwinder Singh of AICTU, Punjab, Neeraj Jain of Lokayat, Pune, President and Gen Sec of PUCL, UP, Chitranjan Singh and Vandana Mishra, Subhash Gatade of New Socialist Initiative, Bhasha Singh of Jan Sanskriti Manch, Delhi, Prof. YK Ranjan of national Campaign Against Corruption, Delhi secretary of CPIML-New Democracy, Com. Aparna and retd. IPS officer SR Drapuri.

        The incident of firing on workers who had just returned after taking part in a rally to commemorate 125 years of the May Day was also condemned in several other countries. Elliot Eisenberg and Einde O'Callaghan of Die Linke (Left Party) of Germany, Debbie Brennen of Radical Women, Australia and Anne Slater of Radical Women, USA, Dr Herbert Pimlott of Wilfred Laurier University Faculty Association, Christine Tickner of UK, Eric Lee, editor of Labour Start, Jeevin Dran of Socialist Party of Malaysia, Tufail Abbas of Pakistan Mazdoor Mahaz have termed this as a shameful incident for Indian democracy.

            Hundreds of peoples from all over the country have signed the petition including senior Hindi novelist Kamtanath, Ajay Singh, editor of 'Kathakram' IG Shailendra Sagar, Delhi based journalists Gaurav Solanki, Bhupen Singh, Abhishek Srivastav, Suyash Suprabh, Pranav Priyadarshi, Swatantra Mishra, president of Sajhi Duniya Mohini Maanglik, chairperson of Anurag Trust and veteran social activist of Lucjnow, Kamla Pandey, Samuel John of Peoples Theatre Chandigarh, senior advocate of Allahabad High Court KK Rai, social activist from Mumbai, Chandrashekharan Nair, Rajwinder of Karkhana Mazdoor Union, Ludhiana, Lakhwinder Singh of Textile Workers Union, Punjab, Shivani Kaul of Stree Mukti League, Kavita of Stree Mazdoor Sangathan, Ramashankar of Jagrook Nagrik Manch Allahabad, Rajeev Yadav and Shahnawaz Alam of UP PUCL and large number of civil rights activists from Rajasthan, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Bihar.

            Meanwhile, various organisations in Lucknow and Gorakhpur are coming together to launch a broad based mass movement against the rising repression in Uttar Pradesh. Some organisations in Delhi and Punjab are also planning to send fact-finding teams to Gorakhpur.

         The petition to the Chief Minister says that the incidents after the firing have completely exposed the politician-businessman-administration nexus in the region. The petition demands:

-         the criminals who fired upon the unarmed workers and the factory owner who hired them be arrested immediately and tried; 

-         judicial inquiry should be instituted on this entire episode including the on the complicity of the local administration and police and the guilty officials be punished; 

-         all the false cases against the workers be revoked immediately;

-       suspension of all 18 workers be revoked and the illegal lockout by the two factory owners be ended.

For,

Citizens Front in Support of Gorakhpur Workers Movement

Contact: 9936650658 (Katyayani); 9910462009 (Satyam); 8447011935 (Sandeep Sharma)

Email: satyamvarma@gmail.com / sandeep.samwad@gmail.com

Workers' Charter Movement 2011

An appeal for solidarity to all justice-loving people

The urban and rural working class population of India is living through a life of intolerable and unutterable misery, injustice and economic oppression. In other words it can be best described as a ‘cold day in hell’. The condition of the urban and rural laborers working in unorganized sector and the unorganized laborers of the organized sector is worst amongst them. The fruits of the progress achieved in the last twenty years of the market liberalisation and privatisation have been enjoyed by the top 15 percent of the total Indian population while the gulf between the rich and poor has yawned to an unprecedented scale. In these   twenty years of rapid economic development, the condition of the toiling masses has worsened. Government data alone is enough to justify this claim.  The workers have only got promises after promises from successive governments but not a single drop of development trickled down to their dark world.
Whatever legal rights the workers had managed to achieve through prolonged struggles and sacrifices, have been mostly snatched back .The age old labor laws present in the statute book, insufficient enough as they are, have been rendered meaningless in practice.  Whatever new laws are introduced by the government as ostentation, are either mostly ineffective and hypocritical or they are pro-capitalist. The labor laws are not only intriguing but also the whole process of justice is so complex and lengthy that the laborers hardly have any chance to get justice .The number of labor dept offices including the officers and the staffs are vastly inadequate and instead of fulfilling its duty of enforcing the labor laws these labor departments often end up acting as an agent of the industry owners .Even the number of labor courts and industrial tribunals are grossly inadequate. For the toiling masses of India, the fundamental right to life as guaranteed by the Constitution has been rendered meaningless. Civil liberty and democratic rights bear no meaning to them. The state machinery is always geared to suppress, directly or indirectly, strike and all the democratic means of resistance through the draconian laws and despotic bureaucracy.
The basic rights such as minimum wages, proper limit of the working hours, ESI, job card etc. are not available to more than 90% of the industrial and rural laborers of India. Even after toiling for 12-14 hours at a stretch in hellish, unhygienic and dangerous conditions they hardly get enough money needed to fulfill their basic needs. Even in these days of severe price-rise, most of the factory workers are paid a paltry sum, ranging between 1800 to 4500 rupees per month for 8 hours of work. In case of death or injury due to the accidents occurring frequently in the workplaces, they are hardly compensated and often not even provided with the basic medication as well, and rather sacked from the job. Most of the workers here are contract, casual, wage and piece-rate laborers and not even a single labor law is implemented for them.
Under these circumstances, the workers of India, would like to let the Parliament and the Government Of India know that, they are not going to bear any more this anarchy and the atrocities meted to them. Enough is enough! They want justice and our rights back and we will regain it at any cost. This is just the beginning of a long campaign. And  as a first step towards  this, they are planning to presentthis charter to the people’s representatives occupying the Parliament and also the parties ruling at the centre  for  a dignified life,for living by  fulfilling our basic necessities of life, for their just and democratic demands and for gaining their legitimate share in the development of this country.
This charter has 26 categories of demands which represent almost all the major needs and political demands of the working class people of India.
On the forthcoming labor day (1 May, 2011) workers from several parts of the country will knock on the doors of the parliament in Delhi, along with this charter signed by thousands of workers across the country.
As for the present, the workers are not asking the deaf occupying the parliament for anything more than just implementing the basic rights guaranteed by the constitution of the land, for us. We are only asking for the minimum requirements a human being needs to live. The struggle of the working class has a long way to go but for the time being let us start this long journey with the demand for our democratic rights, as a first step.
The significance of this movement is that the workers are presenting their demands under the combined banner of the ‘Workers’ Charter Movement’ instead of different banners. Fighting different owners separately divides the workers and thus weakens the whole struggle, which ultimately benefits the industrialists. For this reason, the ‘Workers’ Charter Movement’ is presenting the common demands of the whole working class, in front of the rulers of the country.
Some independent labor organisations and unions active in different parts of the country and a labor journal played a major role in formulating the demands in this charter and a few small labor assemblies (Mazdoor Panchayats) also aided in this process; and they have taken the initiative to draft the charter and take it to the workers, but at the same time it also has to be clarified that this movement is not under the banner of any union, organisation or political party at all. The aim is that the ‘Workers’ Charter Movement’ should become the struggle of all those working people, whose demands are mentioned in the charter, thus to transform it into a unified struggle of the whole working class of the country. This movement is intended to run in several phases and cycles. A symbolic start is being made on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the historic ‘May Day’. This is the first step towards the long march for the liberation of the working class.
Today, this start is a symbolic one because the vast working class population is divided and unorganised. But this cannot remain as such for long. The number of urban and rural proletariat along with the semi-proletariats in India, is about 75 crores. It will also gain support of the lower middle class, who are constantly been oppressed by this suppressive regime. When organised, it would become a very strong force. The demand for the rights of this three-fourth of the total population would go a long way. Since the past few months, teams of workers and activists have been visiting industrial areas, workers colonies, workers lodges, lanes and by-lanes in the slums – where ever workers live, to educate the workers about the charter and get it signed by them. Night meetings are held and street meetings and cultural shows are organised to popularise the charter in several areas.
We appeal to all the people to build solidarity and stand by this movement. If you are a worker then don’t forget to sign this charter yourself, get it signed by your fellow workers and also be present at Jantar Mantar (New Delhi) on 1st May. If you are not a worker, go to the labor colonies and slums around you, educate them about the charter and its implications, get it signed by them and come with us at the Jantar Mantar to express solidarity on the said date. Though the signatures in this charter should be of the worker’s alone but whoever agrees with these demands should certainly reach Delhi to express solidarity.
The middle class is evidently unhappy with the rampant corruption in our system but isn’t it the biggest corruption which constantly denies the workers, the fruit they yield with their blood and tears? There can be no justice when 80% of the population lives in continuous denial of their basic rights. Anguish of the people is mounting high and the day this dormant volcano wakes up, the pillars of the heaven will be terribly shaken for sure.
The beginning of every long journey starts with a small step. We invite you to join and stand by this campaign for rights and justice.

- Convening Committee, Worker’s Charter Movement – 2011.

Labour leaders arrested in false cases in Gorakhpur

Police lathi charged repeatedly on protesting workers

 

Gorakhpur: The Gorakhpur police arrested two worker's leaders Tapish Mandola and Pramod Kumar of Bigul Mazdoor Dasta and Textile Workers Union on false charges from the Bargadwa Industrial area of the city. The protesting workers who went to talk to the SHO were badly lathicharged while the police went ahead and arrested two other leaders Prashant and Raju along with some workers. 

As the news spread a large number of workers from various factories gathered in protest at the police station where they were again lathi charged. Some anti-social elements at the behest of the industrialists resorted to stone pelting to flare up the situation even more but the workers acted promptly to stop them. It is clear that such things are being done to provoke the workers so that the police could get an excuse to unleash more repression. For a long time the industrialists of the city have been furious at the amount of enthusiasm and support extended by the workers of Gorakhpur to the Worker's Charter Movement-2011. With the support of local industrialists and the city MP anti-social elements have launched a tirade against this movement through pamphlets-posters with dubious names and the propaganda machine of the industrialists has tried to stop workers from participating by branding the movement as being run by Maoists.

During the day a minor scuffle took place between some workers and a security guard of one of the factories which had nothing to do with the Textile Workers Union or Bigul Mazdoor Dasta. But it was enough excuse
for the police to arrest two leaders Tapish Maindola and Pramod from a tea shop. about 100 workers reached the police station when they came to know about the arrest. The SHO indulged in abusing and threatening the workers and ordered to lathi charge them while arresting two more leaders Prashant and Raju.
After a little while some more workers gathered in front of the police station when some anti-social elements (who were surely working for the indurtialists) tried to throw stoned on the police. But the workers acted hastily and controlled them. Although no stone reached the police station and nobody was hurt the SHO once again ordered to lathi charge the protesting workers. It is very clear that all these activities are being conducted in a very planned way by the police in collusion with the industrialists and the leaders of the workers are being targetted.

In the meantime the workers of the factories whose shift ended came out and joined the protesters and about 500-600 workers began to move towards the District Magistrate office in the form of a procession. But they were detained by the police as soon as they came out of the Bargadwa Industrial Area and were threatened. A large number of police and PAC personnel were also deployed. However the workers insisted to release their leaders, and ADM City and other district officials reached the spot and promised to release all the arrested people on individual bonds. By the time of writing this report the arrested leaders have not been released and the workers were trying to move towards the DM office which is about 6-7 kms from the spot.

This incident makes it very clear that the widespread support of the workers to the Workers Charter Movement-2011 has made the factory owners furious and they are trying to break the unity of the workers by
employing their goons and with collusion with the police and city administration. The workers are being intimated in every possible way. They are also trying to project this peaceful movement for the basic constitutional demands of the workers as a 'Moist Movement' and a movement being organised with foreign capital. It is noteworthy that ever since the workers united and began to fight for their demands in 2009, the indurtialist-administration-local MP nexus has resorted to false propaganda to malign the movement .

-- Tapish Maindola (09451957218)
Bigul Mazdoor Dasta