Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) seems
unable to get past its Manesar troubles. On a day when India's largest carmaker reported an
over 9 per cent increase in July sales despite the lockout at its Gurgaon plant, the special investigation team (SIT) probing the July 18 violence arrested top ten leaders of Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (MSWU).
They have been
accused of rioting and killing a general manager and
injuring around 100 others. The fresh arrests have taken the total number of arrestees to 114.
SIT teams raided a hideout in Hasi, Hisar district, and arrested the ten accused, who have been named in the first information report lodged at the Maneser police station.
The arrestees were identified as Sandeep Dhillon, chief patron, MSWU; Ram Mehar, president; Sohan Kumar, vice-president; Sarabjeet Singh, general secretary; Suresh Kumar, cashier; Ajmer Singh, legal adviser; Yogesh Kumar, secretary; Pawan Kumar, joint secretary; and Ram Vilas and Amarjeet Singh.
Two executive members of MSWU - Yogesh Yadav and Dhanraj Bhambi - had been arrested earlier.
"The accused were planning to escape to Rajasthan and from there to Gujarat," said Ranjeev Singh Dalal, director general of police (DGP), Haryana.
Six different teams of Haryana police had raided different places in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana to trace the absconding union leaders.
"We will produce them at the Gurgaon civil court tomorrow and urge the court to grant us at least ten days' police remand," Dalal added.
The police claimed that there is no doubt that the violence was pre-planned.
"The nature of the violence suggested that it was a big conspiracy by the
workers to dismantle the plant and that's why we will urge the court for police remand," Dalal further said.
Dalal has assured Shinzo Nakanishi, managing director and chief executive officer (CEO), MSIL, that adequate security will be provided to the Manesar plant.
"With the arrest of the prime accused, we are hopeful that the plant will reopened very soon," Dalal added.
"Our prime concern is to get the exact number of culprits who were allegedly involved in the rioting. The picture will be clear only when they are taken into police remand. They are the brains behind the attack," Dalal added.
The DGP admitted that the Gurgaon Police is under tremendous pressure after the incident.
"The arrest of the prime accused would certainly boost the morale of the management in resuming work at the plant. We will provide a three-layered security to the Maneser plant to avert further violence."
In wake of these violent unrests, according to the orders of chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) personnel will soon be posted in Manesar.
This battalion-comprising 550 police personnel-will be responsible for maintaining law and order in the industrial belt.
"This is the first time that such an initiative will be taken," Dalal said. Yogendra Singh Nehra, who has been posted as commandant, 4th IRB, at Manesar for this purpose, will work under the commissioner of police, Gurgaon.
Courtesy: Mail Today 
PHOTO: Associated Press 
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