CPM condemns police action on CITU workers

Shimla, July 15: Himachal Pradesh CPI (M) today alleged that CITU workers employed by a construction company in the execution of the Chamera III hydel power project were mercilessly beaten up by the Chamba district police last night, while they were asleep in their sheds.

''A police contingent mercilessly beat up the workers who were sleeping in their sheds at about 2330 hrs before herding them into buses. They were later let off at Pathankot and Jassur,'' party's state secretariat member Rakesh Singha told UNI here.

He said the police action came at the behest of the construction company, which was responsible for the murder of three of its workers last month.

Clarifying that the workers were not on strike and ready to start work forthwith, Mr Singha alleged that the management was not willing to begin work at the construction site and was postponing the work at the site on one pretext or the other.

He said the last night's police action was an attempt to destroy ''material evidence'' in the murder of three CITU workers, since a large number of workers picked up yesterday were witnesses in the case.

Besides, the step was an attempt to terrorise the ''unionised workers'' and force them to leave the construction site, paving the way for the recruitment of new workers in violation of the 70 per cent employment norm for people of the state, he said.

Condemning the incident, he demanded that strict action should be taken against police officials who were involved in the yesterday's incident.

The CPM leader said a memorandum has also been submitted to the state DGP Ajit Narain against the action of the Chamba police.

The DGP has assured that the matter would be inquired into, Mr.Singha added.

UNI