Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Nov 1: Fourteen cops and around three dozen civilians were injured when Police resorted to lathicharge and tear gas shelling on the protesting Chenani-Nashri tunnel workers, engaged by the Construction company Leighton, who allegedly attacked Police Station Chenani, today.
The injured policemen included SDPO Chenani Ghyan Chand Sharma, Probationer DySP Umara, SHO Chenani Kewal Gupta, SHO Kud and some female cops, said SSP Udhampur Anil Magotra.
Police has also detained several workers and their leaders, who allegedly incited the protesters and were already involved in some criminal cases registered at the local Police Station, he added.
The trouble erupted this afternoon when Chenani-Nashri tunnel workers, who are protesting for the last five days against termination of their colleagues by the construction company Leighton Welspun Contractors Pvt Ltd, blocked the National Highway disrupting vehicular movement on the road.
For clearing the road, a police party, led by SHO Chenani Kewal Gupta rushed to the spot and dispersed the protesters besides taking around 25 workers and their leaders into preventive custody after using a mild force.
However, the dispersed workers soon assembled in the Chenani town where a woman political activist, allegedly incited them to get their colleagues freed from police custody. The angry mob of workers, numbering around 250 marched towards the Police Station and resorted to stone pelting forcing the cops to use tear gas shells.
It ensued a clash like situation even as additional police force, led by SDPO Chenani Ghyan Chand Sharma and SHO Kud also reached the spot. In the melee, 14 cops were wounded while 31 workers also sustained injuries in lathicharge.
SDPO Ghyan Chand Sharma was hit by a stone and he received injuries on his jaw as well as right hand while a miscreant threw chilly power in eyes of SHO Kewal Gupta, reports said.
The arrested persons included workers union leaders Arshad Malik, Joginder Singh, Abdul Rasheed, Shamash Din, Mesh Singh, Surash Singh, Ram Pal and others.
As reported earlier, a section of workforce engaged in Leighton Welspun’s Chenani-Nashri Tunnel Project has gone on flash strike since October 26 demanding reinstatement of nine employees who were terminated by the company earlier this year.
According to Jim Salmon, Managing Director, Leighton Welspun Contractors Pvt. Ltd, the company was implementing highest level of work standards and ethics in India.
The matter of termination was taken up according to the due process of Law and the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, gave a clear order on 13 September this year that the decision of management to terminate their services was justified, he said.
The Chenani-Nashri Tunnel project involves construction of a nine kilometre-long, two-lane main tunnel, along with a parallel escape tunnel in the lower Himalayan mountain range. It will connect Chenani with Nashri near Udhampur District.
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