State quelled garment workers protest with violence, repression: PUCL report

A year after garment workers especially women took to streets to protest against the Centre’s policy on provident fund withdrawal, a fact finding report released on Sunday alleged human rights violati

BENGALURU: A year after garment workers especially women took to streets to protest against the Centre’s policy on provident fund withdrawal, a fact finding report released on Sunday alleged human rights violations by the police against workers and bystanders during the demonstrations on April 18 and 19, 2016.

The report prepared by NGOs People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS) titled ‘Thread and Tension’ said,  “While this protest has been lauded across the country as a victory for workers’ rights, especially for the distinctive role played by women workers, the state machinery has responded with repression and violence. Workers and passers-by were assaulted brutally during the protest, and many were subsequently arrested on trumped-up charges, including attempt to murder.”

The fact-finding team met a large number of workers in the areas of Bommanahalli, Hebbagodi, and Peenya to elicit their accounts during demonstrations on following days.

“A report in a Kannada newspaper which stated that workers should withdraw their PF money before April 31 after which their money would be blocked until they turned 58 years old. This caused unrest among the workers, and on April 18, the workers took to the streets.

“At around 1.30 pm, the police began to lathi-charge protesters sitting on the roads. On seeing that the women workers were being ruthlessly beaten by male police officers, the men workers started pelting stones at the police, who then intensified the lathi-charge against workers and bystanders alike. Thereafter, arrests were made arbitrarily,” the report claimed. Workers told the fact finding team that there were subjected to physical and verbal abuse during the custody.

The team also urged the state government to withdraw all cases against arrested and also to launch a comprehensive investigation into police brutality. They also demanded compensation for the workers who were injured.

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