Mill workers in Madhya Pradesh’s Magarkhedi, Khargone district have witnessed undue violence in the last two days since August 3, 2021. Protesters have reported manhandling, forced eviction and destruction of tents at protest sites… steps allegedly taken to break the workers’ morale.
On Tuesday alone, more than 400 mill workers, including activist Medha Patkar, were arrested for resisting the take-over of the Centuries Mill owned by the Aditya Birla group. The activist informed SabrangIndia that one woman reportedly ended up in the ICU, allegedly due to violent intervention by the police.
Later on Wednesday, workers formed a human chain as they silently watched JCB machines destroy the protest site outside the company, while the Additional Superintendent of Police allegedly sat inside the premises.
As rationale for their actions, the police said they had earlier sent a notice to protesters warning that any demonstration will be viewed as “an encroachment on public land.” Interestingly, Patkar said that the official notice only cited Section 144 that barred social, political or similar gatherings.
What are mill workers protesting?
August 5 marks Day 1,389 of the Century Mill employment struggle. In this, around 873 mill staff and workers are protesting the forced voluntary retirement imposed on them by the Birla Group at the Century Yarn and Denim company.
Speaking to SabrangIndia, Patkar said that this is the company’s second attempt to sell the Manjit Global and Manjit Cotton mills. However, more devastatingly, this time the new party buying the mills has refused to re-employ people, who were previously working there.
Patkar observed, “The fact that they don’t want to rehire employees indicates that they don’t want to run the mills. Otherwise, why would they dismiss trained people?” She suspects the mills will be used to store cotton using contract labourers.
Trained repression of workers’ dissent
The Tuesday protest was the culmination of a four-year long struggle of over 1,000 workers fighting the forced VRS policy imposition. The human chain on Wednesday protested the administrative oppression.
Those arrested earlier were charged with a personal bond of Rs. 20,000. This included the Shramik Janata Sangh women who condemned the police for pulling women’s sarees, severely scratching and bruising protesters.
MP police brazen attack and arrest of peaceful andolankaris of century denim mill workers is condemnable. Many injured and @medhanarmada and others arrested. @AdityaBirlaGrp forcibly closing mill and asking workers to accept VRS. pic.twitter.com/xTXZ7SVnt0
— Madhuresh Kumar (@kmadhuresh) August 3, 2021
Patkar said that four women were sent to the hospital, of whom one woman, Gulab Prajapati, still remains in the ICU ward. Further, her husband said police verbally threatened him at the hospital when he asked, “Will you give us any compensation?”
“Many women were injured after getting inside the police car because of the reckless manner in which the vehicle was driven,” said Patkar.
Further, on Wednesday, protesters and activists witnessed JCB machines digging holes at the protest site and destroying tents. These tents also served as housing for the workers and staff who were forced out of company quarters.
“Some workers and employees are still inside the staff quarters. Even despite the forced VRS, their second instalment payment is pending. Officials say they will give the same once they vacate the premises. This is because they can’t evict workers without an eviction order,” said Patkar.
Workers are to be paid in two instalments as per the VRS. The first instalment paid Rs. 2 lakh to each of the personnel, all of whom have rejected the money. Members questioned the logic in calculating the amount. But more than anything, workers stand firm on their demand for “VRS nahi rojgaar do!” (Give employment, not VRS).
Mill workers’ long battle for employment
Earlier, the Birla Group had tried to sell the same company for Rs. 62 crore. However, the Bombay Court called the deed a fake sale that claimed the property as ‘agricultural land.’ Plots near highways like the mills in question sell at a different rate. The court declared the mills to be a Rs. 426 crore property.
According to Patkar, the Birla Group then offered to sell the mills to the workers. Other unions supported this move. However, when the proposal was submitted, Birlas rescinded their offer. Nowadays, they are once again trying to sell the property.
Meanwhile the High Court on Wednesday declared that the current case requires intervention from the state government. From October 17, 2017 till now, the workers’ protest has continued.
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