Gharaunda (Karnal), June 26
Protesting workers of Liberty Shoes company received injuries when the police chased them in paddy fields and beat them up. The police fired into the air and used tear gas, water canons, cane-charged and even threw stones and claimed it as a “mild” measure to disperse agitating workers, who had blocked the GT road, this afternoon.

The Karnal police today used many serious offences under various sections of the IPC against 2030 (two thousand and thirty) workers. Till evening, the police had arrested 14 workers and claimed that more workers would be arrested soon following identification through videography done of the incident.

The agitating workers, who blocked the GT road were booked for rioting, unlawful assembly and attempt to murder besides sections of the IPC.

Sources in the Liberty workers union and leaders of CITU claimed that more than 50 workers received serious head injuries in the police action. Talking to The Tribune member of the state secretariat of CITU, Mr Surinder Malik, claimed that more than 250 workers were injured out of whom a large number had received head injuries. He said the workers apprehended arrest by the police and thus not coming for treatment at the hospital.

Denying the claim, Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Gupta claimed that only seven workers and eight cops received injuries.

The trouble started this morning when workers of all three units of Liberty at Gharaunda, Kutail and Karnal gathered at Bastara village, 18 km from Karnal. Protesting workers demanded immediate release of eight workers arrested this morning allegedly at the behest of the company management.

Though the district administration claimed that “mild” force was used to lift the blockage on the GT road but the police force chased workers in paddy fields and beat them up. Scores of scattered cycles, lunch boxes and slippers belonging to the workers on the spot on the GT road where they were cane-charged showed how “mild” the treatment they got from the police.

The police had registered a case against 11 workers for attacking a senior manager of Liberty on June 23 and arrested them early morning. Fearing retaliation, the district administration had imposed Section 144 CrPc along with the GT road and three units of Liberty in the district.

Besides, the police, additional force from the Haryana Armed Police, Madhuban, was also called on to tackle the crisis.

This noon, workers blocked the GT road, near Bastara village that led to disruption of traffic of the NH-1. Officials from the district administration and the police reached the spot but failed to convince them to lift the blockage as the protesting workers stick to their demand of immediate release of other fellow workers.

At a joint press conference held by the DC and SP Sibash Kabiraj blamed company management for the unrest. The SP claimed that the core group had been identified but refused to divulge details.

The SP claimed the workers were carrying petrol bombs; swords and knives hence “mild” force was used to disperse them.

A written statement issued in the evening by the administration claimed that the traffic on the NH-1 was restored at 12.30 pm whereas blockage lifted after 2. 30 pm.