Six labourers injured in clash over wheat lifting

Our Correspondent

Abohar, April 17

At least six labourers were injured here today in a clash between members of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) over the lifting of wheat bags from the Sadulshehar grain market, 31 km from here in Sriganganagar.

CITU (affiliated to the CPM) has monopolised lifting of officially purchased wheat from grain markets for the past about five decades but the BJP leaders today tried to introduce party outfit BMS into lifting. Both the labour unions performed religious rituals to mark beginning of the work as government agencies had entered the market on Saturday and today was the first day to lift wheat bags.

Sources said the rival unions had made their intensions clear but only five policemen were deployed to intervene. CPM ex-MLA Het Ram Beniwal, CITU leaders Pala Ram and Mahesh flayed the BJP government for an attempt to throw out CITU. As rival factions tried to lift wheat, workers, carrying lathis with them, clashed. Some also started pelting each other with stones and bricks. At least six persons received serious injuries in the spat.

Additional police force was summoned from Lalgarh Jattan and Hindumalkot police stations to control the situation.

Ex-MLA Beniwal warned that lifting of wheat would be halted across the state if CITU was not allowed to work in the grain markets.