Thirteen women employees of a garment factory suffered serious injuries in a police lathicharge in Bangalore on Wednesday.

State Women’s Commission Chairperson Pramila Nesargi, who visited the K C General Hospital, where the injured have been admitted, said two of the women were pregnant and they had suffered miscarriage as they were beaten up by the police.

She had said one of them was in a coma. Deccan Herald found no patient was in a coma. The women employees being treated said they were not sure the women suffered miscarriage.

Hospital authorities denied Ms Nesargi’s allegations. Dr Vishwaradhya, superintendent of the hospital, said none of the employees admitted was pregnant and no abortion cases reported. “Thirteen injured were admitted to the hospital. They had sustained injuries in the scuffle with the police staff. Of these, two have already been sent home,” he said.

The injured women are employees of Leela Scottish Lace Private Ltd, a garment factory in Rajagopalnagar.
As many as 1,200 employees, including 900 women, were staging a protest in front of the factory demanding service benefits.

Employees alleged that efforts were on to hand over the factory to Mumbai-based garment company Bombay Rayon.

Employees of the factory had been staging protest since July 23. The factory officials approached the court on Tuesday and brought injunction banning protest within 300 metre radius of the factory.

The police had put the barricades to prevent the protesters from entering the premises.

However, protesters continued the protest violating the court orders. Some women protesters tried to barge into the campus. When police tried to prevent them, a scuffle broke out and some women protesters were injured.

Police injured
However, DCP (North) Syed Ulfath Hussain said that the police did not resort to lathicharge. He said 13 employees were injured in the scuffle between the police and protesters.