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Lawlessness becoming norm in Punjab
Labourers go on rampage in Bathinda, make cops relent, force firm to pay lakhs
WSN Network

BATHINDA: Lawlessness is increasingly becoming the norm in Punjab with every week turning up a couple of examples of complete inability of enforcement authorities to tackle situations, and police swings between either remaining completely absent from the scene or indulging in highhandedness. 

In village Phulokheri where the HPCL Mittal Oil Refinery is coming up, a labourer died of sun stroke. After the management refused to pay the kind of compensation demanded by angry colleagues of the deceased worker, things simply went out of control and police had to fire hundreds of gunshots to disperse the mob that burnt six cars, a fire brigade vehicle, an ambulance and more than 25 two wheelers besides damaging the administrative and security complex of the refinery. 

A number of labourers and some policemen were injured in the incident. Four labourers working with a private construction company fell unconscious on Sunday afternoon in the unbearable heat. The labourers requested that they be shifted to a hospital but it was allegedly not accepted. 

A tractor was arranged to shift them to a Raman Mandi hospital. One of the labourers, Bhanu Tewari, was referred to Bathinda Civil Hospital but died on the way. The labourers demanded adequate compensation, but heated exchanges with the management failed to yield any result. 

A dharna later turned ugly the next morning and possible excessive action by the police enraged the mob. Later, officials negotiated a compromise and the company agreed to pay Rs 4.25 lakh as compensation.

1 July 2009
 

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