Maruti tells in detail about the scuffle at its Manesar Plant

Only today morning, we posted in a fair bit of detail about the recent clash of workers and management employees that happened at Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL)’s Manesar plant. Now, the car maker has informed us in detail about the unwanted happening at its manufacturing facility.

The car maker says that it is deeply disturbed by the mob violence and arson that took place at their Manesar Plant on Wednesday evening. The manufacturer says that several executives, managers and supervisors were brutally attacked and injured, and nearly 100 of them had to be hospitalised.

Awanish Kumar Dev, General Manager (HR) at Manesar Plant was burnt to death by the mob. Other than this irreparable and highly unfortunate loss, MSIL is currently assessing the total damage to property and facilities from the acts of arson.

Both the plants in the Manesar campus of the carmaker remained closed on Thursday.

MSIL says that it will shortly announce our decision on the next steps with regard to resuming operations in these facilities. Few from the carmaker’s staff, who are currently at a hospital in Gurgaon, are said to be in a ‘serious condition’. While the rest are recovering from the physical injuries, it will take them a while to come out of the trauma. The injured include two Japanese expatriates, including the plant manager of the Manesar Plant.

The workers’ union was demanding reinstatement of a worker who had been suspended for beating up a supervisor. While negotiations were on with the senior management, the first act of violence took place when the mob forcibly shut the main gate and prevented managers from leaving the premises after working hours.

Thereafter, armed with iron rods and door beams of cars, the mob spread out in groups in the factory area and targeted supervisors, managers and executives. In simultaneous attacks in different parts of the factory, the mob beat the managers on their head, legs and back, rendering many of their victims bleeding and unconscious. They also ransacked offices, broke glass panes and wantonly damaged property. Finally, they set the offices on fire. 

MSIL says that this is not an “industrial relations” problem in the nature of management-worker differences over issues of wages or working conditions. The car maker further says that such acts of violence – pre planned, unprovoked and gruesome – have implications beyond one company or region.