The police and administration are trying their best to present the violent labour protest against alleged non-payment of wages in Noida on Saturday as a minor conflict between two groups of labourers. Four security guards who fired at the labourers have been booked and their guns have been confiscated, but no case has been registered against the real estate company against which the labourers were protesting nor was any representative of the company questioned in the matter.
'The labourers were standing in a queue to enter the company site. Some labourers broke the queue in a bid to enter before others. This led to a heated argument between the labourers and a conflict broke out.
The guards fired in the air to control the mob and injured the labourers,' said Rita Bhadauria, deputy commissioner (labour welfare) Noida. 'Our officers visited visited the site and carried out a detailed enquiry. There was no labour unrest in the area, nor was there any issue of non-payment of wages. Nobody complained about non-payment of wages' she added. On Saturday, violence erupted in Noida after over 1,000 agitating construction labourers, protesting against alleged non-payment of wages, set fire to approximately 10 vehicles and damaged the site office of a leading real estate developer in Sector 108 in Noida. The violence began after security guards at the under-construction site, fired in the air to disperse the labourers who had gathered in protest. Two labourers were injured in the firing. The situation was brought under control in an hour after police personnel reached the spot.
But the police narrates the same story as Bhadauria. 'Not even a single person came to complain about non-payment of wages,' Preetinder Singh, SSP Noida said. 'The violence started when some labours broke the queue and one of them slapped a guard at the gate. The guard then opened fire. As the bullet strayed, injuring two labourers, they became violent,' he said, adding, 'We have deployed heavy PAC and additional police force to maintain law and order. The situation was normal on Sunday and the labourers are working at the site’. The injured labourers, Jinarul (15) and Mohammed Alam, have been hospitalised.
A company representative of 3 C Constructions, where the conflict took place said, 'A contractor had been hired to employ labourers, and non-payment of wages concerns him, not the firm. Guards are employees of a private security agency. The firm has no role in the matter. We are currently assessing the damage to the property. The management will then decide on further course of action.’
'The labourers were standing in a queue to enter the company site. Some labourers broke the queue in a bid to enter before others. This led to a heated argument between the labourers and a conflict broke out.
The guards fired in the air to control the mob and injured the labourers,' said Rita Bhadauria, deputy commissioner (labour welfare) Noida. 'Our officers visited visited the site and carried out a detailed enquiry. There was no labour unrest in the area, nor was there any issue of non-payment of wages. Nobody complained about non-payment of wages' she added. On Saturday, violence erupted in Noida after over 1,000 agitating construction labourers, protesting against alleged non-payment of wages, set fire to approximately 10 vehicles and damaged the site office of a leading real estate developer in Sector 108 in Noida. The violence began after security guards at the under-construction site, fired in the air to disperse the labourers who had gathered in protest. Two labourers were injured in the firing. The situation was brought under control in an hour after police personnel reached the spot.
But the police narrates the same story as Bhadauria. 'Not even a single person came to complain about non-payment of wages,' Preetinder Singh, SSP Noida said. 'The violence started when some labours broke the queue and one of them slapped a guard at the gate. The guard then opened fire. As the bullet strayed, injuring two labourers, they became violent,' he said, adding, 'We have deployed heavy PAC and additional police force to maintain law and order. The situation was normal on Sunday and the labourers are working at the site’. The injured labourers, Jinarul (15) and Mohammed Alam, have been hospitalised.
A company representative of 3 C Constructions, where the conflict took place said, 'A contractor had been hired to employ labourers, and non-payment of wages concerns him, not the firm. Guards are employees of a private security agency. The firm has no role in the matter. We are currently assessing the damage to the property. The management will then decide on further course of action.’