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At the behest of the factory owners, the reign of terror of police continues
by Bigul Mazdoor Dasta
Noida, March 1. Several mass organizations including Bigul Mazdoor Dasta have strongly condemned the Noida police’s act of illegal detention of the labour leader Tapish Maindola and 6 common citizens. A petition is also being filed today at the Allahabad High Court against the illegal custody.
Ajay Swamy of Delhi Metro Kamgar Union told that on the evening of February 27th, 10-12 persons came in 2 Bolero vehicles to the DTP Centre of Navin Prakash in Ghaziabad and forcibly took him and his employee Raju along with them. They forced Navin to call the activist of Bigul Mazdoor Dasta and his friend Tapish by phone and as soon as Tapish reached there, police captured him. Without informing the people present there as to where they were taking them, the policemen took all three along with them. None of the three were allowed to make a call and their phones were taken away and switched off.
On the next day morning it was known that they had been kept at the sector 58 police station and they were being physically and mentally tortured since the last night. If it was not enough, in the morning, the police also detained a four member delegation of citizens which went to meet the SHO. These include research scholar in Delhi University Sunny Singh, Gajendra,IT professional Gyanendra Ojha and Pramod Kumar of Bigul Mazdoor Dasta. The two citizens detained along with Tapish are his social friends who were taken simply because they helped Tapish to get the sim card whose number was provided in a pamphlet released by Tapish as contact number. The policemen themselves have told that this number was under police surveillance (illegally)!
Police have yet not lodged any FIR against any individual nor has it made any charge. Police has been saying only this much that since you people are inciting the workers for violence, we would imprison you under the National Security Act.
In an emergency meeting of several mass organizations held here it was said that the police is unnecessarily creating an atmosphere of sensation. Romours are being spread about the March 1st strike while no organization has made any such appeal.
‘Bigul Mazdoor Dasta’ has been distributing pamphlets by holding the street meetings in various areas. It has been said in the pamphlet that the incidents of violence during the strike on 21-22 nd February is just an indication of the anger and frustration of the workers who don’t even get their fundamental rights fulfilled. It has also been mentioned in the pamphlet that the anarchic explosion of the anger is no solution and the workers must organize themselves in revolutionary unions and political organizations so that an organized struggle can be carried out against the state which acts as the managing committee of the capitalists. However, baseless charges are being framed by the police that the workers have been incited for violence and a strike.
The police have arrested more than 200 workers on the charges of involvement in the 21-22nd February violence. The workers say that the factory owners are arbitrarily providing the names of the workers to the police and it has been picking them up without any investigation.
It was said in the meeting that as usual, in this case also the police has been acting at the behest of the factory owners who trample upon even the basic labour laws and who are hell bent on silencing every voice of protest. If all the persons are not released immediately, the mass organizations would hit the streets in Delhi and Noida against this.
Amongst those who attended the meeting included the activists of Bigul Mazdoor Dasta, Delhi Metro Kamgar Union, Karawal Nagar Mazdoor Union, Jagrook Nagrik Manch, Stree Mazdoor Sangthan, Disha Chhatra Sangathan etc.
Update:
After an all round pressure, the police produced all the seven persons before the city magistrate tonight. Section related to disturbing peace was imposed on them. While six people were released on the personal surety, when Tapish was produced before the magistrate the policemen started abusing him and asked him to apologize. When Tapish responded as why he should apologize when he had committed no mistake, he was taken inside the court with handcuffs where he was manhandled as well. However, he was released at late night.
