The Haryana director-general of police has done well to set up a special investigation team to identify the workers who resorted to the brutal, barbaric attack on Maruti officials at the carmaker’s Manesar plant, close to Delhi.
It is hoped that they are identified without loss of time. A general manager (human resources) was charred to death and 70 others were injured, some of them seriously, including two Japanese executives. This could send out negative signals to other factories in the country, and globally, as Maruti Suzuki is a Japanese company. The Japanese embassy has already given a statement hoping that the Haryana government will act promptly to punish the culprits and enforce law and order so that such incidents are not repeated. Maruti is the country’s largest car maker, particularly in the small hatchback
segment.
The reasons for the gruesome violence, which has literally destroyed the Maruti plant, must be examined in detail as there seems to be more than meets the eye in the continuous and escalating worker-management confrontation. The factory has witnessed a strike and serious labour unrest for several years. The reasons for Wednesday’s violence range from an alleged casteist statement by a supervisor to better wages for contract workers and harsh working conditions. The company is said to have more contract workers than permanent employees on its rolls. The possibility of ugly union rivalry cannot be ruled out. Whatever the provocation, and however justified the workers’ grievances, such violence cannot be condoned.