People's Democracy

J&K: CPI(M) Team Demands Judicial Inquiry

Brutal Repression On Railway Construction Workers Condemned

A team consisting of Dr M K Pandhe, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and president of the CITU, Sudhangshu Sil, Amitava Nandy, Jibon Roy CPI(M) members of parliament, along with Mohd Yusuf Tarigami, MLA and CPI(M) state secretary, CITU state leaders K K Bakhshi, Sham Prasad Kesar and Javed Ahmad Zargar visited Bankoot near Banihal, J&K, where railway construction work is being done by the Hindustan Construction Company, and talked to the workers and people.

The delegation in a statement issued after the visit expressed concern at the brutal repression unleashed on the workers by the police. The leader of the delegation, Dr M K Pandhe, had a detailed talk with the state chief minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and urged him to intervene so as to ensure that the repression let loose against the workers is stopped forthwith and the issues regarding the legitimate demands of the workers are resolved. The CM assured him that the issues would be addressed sympathetically

Following is the full text of the statement.

WE visited Bankoot on October 20, 2004 after hearing the reports of continued police atrocities on the workers of HCC who are denied payment of minimum wages fixed by the authorities. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Project Workers Union had launched an agitation to press for the payment of minimum wages. The Registrar of Trade Unions has been deliberately avoiding registration of the union with a view to prevent normal functioning of the trade union.

The Project Management in league with local police administration has started a reign of terror on the workers and their family members while the government of Jammu and Kashmir behaved like a silent spectator. The senior advocate Salim Raja who has been supporting the legitimate  demands of the workers and protesting the non-implementation of labour laws by the contractors, sub-contractors and principal employer, has been implicated in false cases. He was invited for negotiations by the district administration on September 11, 2004 and was arrested and beaten in the lock-up. He was arbitrarily implicated in false cases under the Public Safety Act. Despite the Jammu and Kashmir High Court having quashed the detention order, he continues to be in jail and difficulties are being created even to prevent the grant of a bail for him.

From the workers and their families we heard shocking stories of brutalities by the police who have arbitrarily arrested a large number of workers under false charges. They attacked houses of workers late at night, mercilessly beat family members of workers including women, stole their belongings including utensils, clothing and household goods, and forced several workers and their families to run away and hide in the nearby jungle to avoid police repression and brutality. We have seen blood stained and torn clothes of men and women who, with tears in their eyes, told us their pitiable plight due to these atrocities by the police who have converted the entire area into an armed camp.

The Hindustan Construction Company has given the work to some anti-social sub-contractors who have been indulging in blatant violation of all labour laws and resorting to a gangster rule to control the workers. The district administration, instead of ensuring implementation of the labour laws, is openly protecting the culprits and threatening the workers of dire consequence.

Despite 80 days of dispute, the sub-contractor, who is in league with the local administration, is engaging blacklegs with a view to forcibly restart the construction work illegally and suppress the just struggle of the workers.

We strongly feel that in the interest of completion of the construction of railway project in time, the central and the state governments should immediately intervene to ensure the following steps.

1. Hold impartial judicial enquiry into the police atrocities including the killing of Comrade Mohammad Hanif and injuries to large number of workers in unprovoked police firing and lathicharge. (see People’s Democracy, dated September 15, 2004)

2. Payment of compensation to the persons who died or got injured during the firing and lathicharge.

3. Restoration of all belongings of workers and people of Bankoot.

4. Withdrawal of all cases and FIRs against advocate Salim Raja, other workers and local supporters including government employees on false criminal charges.

5. Transfer of police officers involved in repressive measures pending judicial enquiry.

6. Payment of minimum wages and all statutory benefits to the workers.

7. No victimisation of any worker for formation of union. Immediate step to register the union.

8. Adequate compensation to be paid to all the peasants whose land has been acquired for the project and job to be given to a family member of each of the landowners.

We hope the union railway and labour ministries and the state government will seriously view the situation and take these measures with a view to restore normalcy in the area.

We hear reports from several places in Jammu and Kashmir that trade union rights are non-existent in the state. We request the chief minister to hold a meeting of trade unions in the state, hear their grievances and take expeditious steps to ensure the trade union rights to all the workers in the state.

In view of the present delicate political situation in the state, these measures will only contribute to political stability in the state. (INN)