Workers lathi charged in Gorakhpur, 25 workers badly injured, 73 workers arrested

Workers lathi charged in Gorakhpur, 25 workers badly injured, 73 workers arrested along with their leader Tapish whose whereabouts are still unknown

The administration is blatantly supporting the factory owners – has not shown any inclination to dialogue, administration adamant on suppressing the movement and disbanding the striking activists

An independent team of journalists and social workers reaches Gorakhpur to carry out an investigation

Gorakhpur, 20 May. The Workers' Satyagraha which started in Gorakhpur from May 16 was dealt with lathi charge today by a heavy police force in the presence of the DIG. Police arrested 73 workers and one of their leaders Tapish Maindola but there is still no official word about their arrest. Tapish has been arrested on the basis of a concocted FIR lodged by factory owner Ashok Jalan in relation to the incident of firing by his hired goons in which 19 workers were injured. Serious charges under different sections of IPC have been pressed on him including attempt to murder, rioteering etc. The administration is unabashedly siding with the factory owners. The workers had submitted a complaint to the police naming the factory owner Ashok Jalan, history-sheeter Pradeep Singh and others as responsible for the incident of firing but the police have taken no action on their complaint instead they have arrested workers' leader Tapish Maindola on the false FIR of the factory owner Ashok Jalan. Ashok Jalan had stated that Tapish and other workers themselves were involved in the firing on the workers, however, news reports from media clearly say that the firing was done from inside the factory, and it was a well planned attack. The workers' union has expressed concern for the life of their leader Tapish.

In the meanwhile 50 workers who had gone to protest against the arrest of workers at the DM office were heavily lathi charged and 25 workers sustained injuries.

 In the afternoon today about 500 workers taking part in a peaceful demonstration for their legal rights were detained near Gorakhnath Temple here. All 500 workers had tied themselves with a long rope and they sat at the same spot in protest where a heavy police force in the leadership of the DIG had stopped them. According to latest updates, the police resorted to  lathi charge and dispersed the workers arresting 73 of them. But the police did not officially record the arrest of 30 of them and their leader Tapsih. Despite this about 250 workers are still sitting on a dharna at the townhall near Gandhi statue.



It is noteworthy that Tapish was arrested from some other place as he was not a part of the procession. He has been taken to some undisclosed location and the workers fear for his life and safety. It should be known that some police and administrative officials had been continuously warning the workers' leaders of 'dire consequences'. They had been particularly targeting Tapish, Pramod Kumar and Prashant and branding them as 'moists-terrorists'. Even two years ago these leaders had been dealt brutal physical attack by the administration and it is said that the police were planning to kill them in false encounters. However they had to retreat after severe condemnation from all over the country gained momentum and the officers came under huge public pressure. But the administration seems hell-bent on suppressing this movement this time. Under such circumstances there is clear danger to the life and security of Tapish.



The hunger strike was initiated since the morning of 16th May on the demands of the arrest of the accused of the firing incident on 3rd May, action against the guilty officers, judicial enquiry of firing and repression, compensation to the injured workers and ending the lock out in the two factories of V.N. Dyers and reinstatement of all the 18 dismissed workers. Suheela Devi, mother of a worker, three workers - Bindweshwar Rai, Susheel Srivastava and Mahesh Pathak and women activist Shweta are sitting on hunger strike and among them the condition of Susheela, Shweta and Mahesh Pathak has worsened. On the night of 18 May the administration forcibly took away Mahesh Pathak and admitted him to the district hospital but he continued his fast even there and on the morning of 19thMay he again came back and joined the hunger strike.  

Hundreds of workers of the area also have been present day and night on the spot. Meanwhile the administration is acting in favour of the factory owners and is hell bent on ending the hunger strike and dharna and is not paying any attention to the demands of workers. Two rounds of unsuccessful talks were held on the first day in which the owners were adamant on not taking back the dismissed workers. After that the administration did not make any attempt for dialogue. Even last night, police force in the leadership of the top officials of police and administration was prepared to remove the workers from the spot. Sensing this, huge number of workers sitting on dharna tied each other through big ropes. When police saw that the workers could not be removed from the spot without the use of heavy force, it withdrew.

The administration and owners had to relent in face of the massive public pressure and resolute struggle of the workers after the 3 May firing and brutal police repression of workers  in Gorakhpur, and the workers achieved a partial victory. All the 18 workers of Ankur Udyog who were dismissed after they went to participate in the May Day rally in Delhi were taken back and the factory started from May 11.  But the owners of VN Dyers Ltd. are  adamant on their demands. Even the administration was making no attempt to call the owners for talks. They wanted to break the movement by tiring out the workers. But the workers are ready to fight it out.

The workers staged a bicycle rally in the Gorakhpur city today to gather popular support in favour of the workers’ agitation. Even the workers of GIDA industrial area staged a demonstration in their area in support of the agitation. The workers of various factories of Bargadwa are planning to stage a huge demonstration.

Meanwhile an investigation team of journalists and social activists reached Gorakhpur to investigate the incident of firing on workers, their repression and the accusations of violation of labour laws. The members of the investigation team also went to the spot and talked to the workers.

The strong condemnation of the continued repressive attitude of administration towards the workers agitation going on for more than two weeks and its neglect by Uttar Pradesh government is building momentum once again.

We will try to keep you updated of any new developments. Please call on these numbers and ask the Gorakhpur officials to stop the repression immediately and listen to workers' demands:

Div. Commissioner, Gkp, Mr K. Ravindra Nair: 09454400207

District Masgistrate, AK Shukla: 09454417544

DIG: 09454417500

City Magistrate, JK Singh: 09454416213

Commissioner                                    

Office of the Commissioner

Collectrate, Gorakhpur - 273001

0551 - 2338817 (Fax)

Gorakhpur (0551)      

Divisional Commissioner

2333076/2335238 (off)

2336022 (Res)

2338817 (Fax) 

9454417500

District Magistrate                              

Office of the District Magistrate

Collectrate, Gorakhpur - 273001

0551 - 2334569 (Fax)

City Magistrate: J.K. Singh

9454416213

Dy Inspector General of Police         

Cantt., Gorakhpur:
09454400207

0551 - 2201187 / 2333442

DLC, S.P. Shukla 

Labour Office, Civil Lines, Gorakhpur-273001

09453043030

Governor, BL Joshi

Raj Bhavan, Lucknow-226001

0522-2220331, 2236992, 2220494
Fax: 0522-2223892

Special Secretary to Governor: 0522-2236113

Km. Mayawati,

Chief Minister

Fifth Floor, Secretariat Annexe

Lucknow-226001

0522 - 2235733, 2239234 (Fax)

0522 - 2236181, 2239296, 2215501 (Office)

0522 - 2236838 2236985 (Res)

Shri Badshah Singh :                         

Labour Minister,  Department of Labour

Secretariat , Lucknow

0522 - 2238925 (Fax)

Deepak Kumar Singh
Home Secretary
09454405003

Principal Secretary, Labour               

Department of Labour

Secretariat, Lucknow - 226001

0522 - 2237831 (Fax)

Anand Kumar Singh
joint secretary
9415159087

Gorakhpur (0551)      

Divisional Commissioner
09454417500       

2333076, 2335238 (off)

2336022 (Res)