Four injured in Tata Steel project premises

Odisha Channel Bureau Jajpur, June 23: At least four persons, including two private security personnel, were injured in the Tata Steel’s project premises in Kalinga Nagar in the district due to a clash between the agitating workers and Tata security personnel on Monday.Tension prevailed in and around the Tata steel area and armed police personnel have been deployed to avert further possibility of clash.Police sources said trouble started as thousands of contractual workers on Monday morning started a mass dharna in front of the office of the vice-president (Engineering) R.R.Jha, located in the plant premises, demanding their overtime dues which have been pending on the plant management.The private security personnel deployed in the plant came to the agitators and intervened.There was a heated exchange of words between the agitating workers and the security personnel and later it turned violent.“The security men resorted to lathi-charge on the agitating workers who were staging a mass dharna demanding their pending dues which the workers retaliated and started stone pelting at the security men.When the Security personnel failed to disperse them, they opened fire at the agitating workers injuring two of them,” said Kalinga Nagar Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) P.K.Sahani.On the other hand, two security personnel of the plant were also injured due to stone pelting by the agitating workers, police said.All the injured have been hospitalised.One of the workers, identified as Mahendra Patra who sustained serious injuries has been shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for treatment, police said adding Patra had sustained bullet injuries on his neck, hand and leg.“No FIR has been made from any side even by this evening,” said the ASP.“Earlier, the workers had given in writing to Jha about their pending overtime dues and requested him to clear it.But, he paid no heed to the demand of the workers,” said Sahani.Though the situation is tense but under control, he said adding armed police force personnel have been deployed at the site to maintain strict vigil.Meanwhile, an official of the company said: “In this context we wish to inform you that soon after the agitation started, the mob turned violent and indulged into rioting, vandalising company property and attacking other workers and officers.“As the lives of several other workers and officers present were endangered, the security staff had to resort to firing in the air to ward off the attacking workers, in which nobody was hurt.However, because of the manhandling by the group of workers, in the process, total 17 people were injured, four among whom are grievously injured and are under medical treatment.We have also requested for intervention by respective government agencies to help us reach at a solution under the prevailing law of the state.Talks are on and we hope the situation will soon be back to normalcy,” the Tata Steel official added.