Construction workers, demanding permission to travel back home, go on rampage in & outside IIM-A

A mob of migrant workers on Monday went on a rampage in and around Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, damaged office of a construction site and security cabin near the main entrance of the campus and then went on attacking police and private vehicles near outside the campus. Police said that the angry workers lost their patience after their demand of sending back them home was not heeded by the construction company, which had employed them, and local authority for last many days.

The police had to resort to lathicharge and teargas shells to control the violent mob. The FIR lodged by Vastrapur police station mentions names of 35 labourers, mostly from from Jharkhand, as accused and a mob of over 250 to 300 persons for rioting and attacking government servant, damaging public and private properties. The FIR was lodged based on a complaint filed by police inspector S R Gamit.

In his complaint Gamit has said, a mob of 250-300 people, all migrant workers, had come out on road near IIM-A (new campus), carrying iron rods, pipes and stones. Gamit has stated that a group of workers entered a construction site inside the campus where they were employed by a firm identified as PSP Limited.

“A group of workers entered by forcefully opening the gate and damaged office of the construction site and security cabin with iron rods, pipe and stones. I tried to pacify and asked them not to indulge in violence but they started shouting that “we are not being sent home” and started attacking police vehicles and pelted stones,” Gamit has said in his six page statement.

He has said that there were handful of cops at that time who were forced to retreat due to violent behavior of the workers. He said that soon police force from neighbouring six stations reached the site. But, the mob went berserk and started attacking police teams leading to a mayhem.

Joint Commissioner of Police, Sector-1, Amit Vishwakarma told DH, "Couple of policemen were injured in the attack which was contained by the police in time. The workers were angry for not being allowed to go back home. Their names have already been registered as travelers." Police detained nearly 100 of them from the spot.