On the intervening night of May 4 and 5, dozens of police personnel belonging to the Manesar (Gurugram) Crime Investigation Agency of Haryana Police surrounded and laid siege of CITU leaders' homes in Rohtak. They were attempting to arrest the leaders in connection with the workers movement for better wages that had started in early April.  

The siege, which began at 1:30 am, had to be lifted at 8:30 am due to widespread resistance, forcing the police team to withdraw. The police, wearing civil dress, arrived in two large vehicles without number plates. They first picked up the brother of the wife of CITU State and Rohtak District Secretary Vinod Deswal and took him to his home. At that time, his wife, Anju, and their six-year-old daughter were alone at home, sleeping. Upon receiving this information, the local committee of CITU and leaders of various social and civic organizations protested. Ultimately, the local police and the Manesar team had to return empty-handed, lifting the blockade outside the house at 8:30 am.  

Various social and democratic organizations protested against this and submitted a memorandum to the District Superintendent of Police. The memorandum demanded an investigation into the incident and warned against its recurrence. The delegation included All India Kisan Sabha National Vice President Inderjit Singh, State General Secretary Sumit Dalal, Vice President Preet Singh, Janwadi Mahila Samiti National Vice President Jagmati Sangwan, State President Savita, CITU State Vice President Satvir Singh, Surendra Malik, Virendra Malik, District Secretary Prakash Chandra, All India Lawyers Union leader Ramchandra Siwach, AIAGWU State vice-president Prem Chand, Joint Secretary of Khet Mazdoor Union Sandeep Singh, Naresh Kumar of Viklang Adhikar Manch, and others.  

INDUSTRIALISTS AVOIDING PAYING MIN WAGES

It is noteworthy that the workers' protest in Manesar in the first week of April was peaceful. The protest remained calm until the day after the Haryana Chief Minister announced the minimum wage on April 8. The situation worsened with the police lathicharge in Manesar on April 9, invoking Section 163 of the BNSS. Sixty-one innocent workers and trade union activists were jailed. This action was not against crime but was carried out under the pressure of capitalist owners to suppress workers. In this connection, the Manesar police also issued notices to CITU State General Secretary Jai Bhagwan and State Vice President Vinod Kumar on April 13, under sections related to inciting workers. Since then, the Manesar police have been attempting to arrest CITU leaders, even tracing mobile numbers. CITU and other organizations have strongly objected to this.  

The government and administration should focus on ensuring that workers receive the declared minimum wage starting May 7. However, instead of implementing it, the administration is harassing workers and their leaders. Salaries for the month of April are to be paid between May 7 and May 10, but many industry owners and government institutions are unwilling to pay the increased wages. Action needs to be taken against them, and criminal cases should be filed. All arrested workers and trade unionists should be released, and all cases dismissed, CITU has demanded.  

CITU LEADERS ADDRESS MEETING

Earlier, on April 29, CITU National General Secretary and former MP Elamaram Kareem and National Secretary A.R. Sindhu addressed a general meeting of workers in Faridabad and also held a press conference. In the meeting, they stated that the workers' demand for a wage increase is a matter between industry owners, the labour department and the administration. They questioned why the police are resorting to repressive measures against this peaceful protest. Instead of listening to millions of workers, the state government is using police force to suppress the movement. This must be stopped immediately. Workers are simply demanding legal rights, including wage increases, to survive. Alleging a ‘conspiracy’ is the government's strategy to discredit and suppress the movement in the interests of capitalists.  

They said it is shameful that many factory owners in Haryana are refusing to pay the minimum wage of Rs 15,220 per month. Workers across northern India are working in slave-like conditions. Casual and contract labourers constitute approximately 80 per cent of the total workforce, and their conditions are extremely deplorable. A large number of them are women, who are the lifeblood of the current manufacturing industry. Yet, they have been deprived of even the minimum labour law benefits. These workers are being employed in permanent jobs, flouting the Constitution, Supreme Court rulings, and labour laws. Thousands of factories are not even registered. The plight of the workers is evident. This is happening right under the nose of the BJP’s central and state governments. CITU leaders have demanded that all workers and trade union activists arrested in recent protests, including in Manesar and Noida, be released and all cases dismissed.