Liberty workers denied bail

Karnal, June 27 (UNI) A local court today rejected the bail plea of all the 42 workers of Liberty footwear company who were arrested after a clash with police yesterday, and sent them to judicial custody till July 11.

These workers, who were produced in Judicial Magistrate Devender Singh's court, are among 2,000 others who had been booked at Thana Madhuban here after they blocked the NH-1 near company's Gharaunda unit yesterday. The police had resorted to lathicharge to lift a three-hour jam on the GT road.

The agitators were demanding the release of 10 fellow workers arrested earlier by the police for assaulting company officials.

Those ten have also been remanded to Judicial custody till July 10.

Hundreds of workers, including women, were injured in the police action. Workers fleeing from the scene pelted the police with stones, injuring seven policemen and damaging two government and many private vehicles, sources said.

Local Left leaders have decried the police action, describing it as ''barbaric'' and told UNI that the Central leadership was expected to visit the spot to take the stock of the situation.

Meanwhile, one of the Directors of the Company, Mr Shammi Bansal, talking to UNI, said the owners were not inolved in the incident in which agitating workers had clashed with the district administration.

He said of the theee units of the company, only Karnal unit was functioning today registering 80 per cent presence. Work in the other two units -- Kutail and Gharaunda -- had come to a halt as the workers, fearing unrest, stayed away.

The work in these units would start only after the administration provides security, he added.

UNI JN RL ND1706