India arrests after riot at Maruti plant

DHAKA: At least 90 people have been arrested after violent clashes between workers and managers at a Maruti Suzuki factory near the Indian capital, Delhi.

A senior factory official died and more than 85 were injured, including two Japanese nationals, in the riot at the Manesar plant on Wednesday evening.

Maruti, India’s biggest car maker, has halted production at the factory, reports the BBC.

Managers and workers blame each other for starting the clashes, which follow months of troubled labour relations.

The violence at the vast factory in Haryana state is believed to have erupted after an altercation between a factory worker and a supervisor.

Workers reportedly ransacked offices and set fires at the height of the violence.

The union denied responsibility for the violence and told local media that it was triggered by ‘objectionable remarks’ made by the supervisor

Dozens of staff, both management and shop-floor workers, were taken to a nearby hospital.

Maruti company officials have also told the BBC that more than 50 senior manager level staff are still in hospital.

The manager who died has been named as Avinash Dev, a human resources official.

Security has now been tightened at the plant, which employs more than 2,000 people and produces more than 1,000 of Maruti’s top-selling cars every day, accounting for about a third of its annual production.

BDST: 1932 HRS, JUL 19, 2012

Edited by Robab Rosan, Cultural Affairs Editor