CHENNAI: The death of a 34-year-old migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh, employed at the L&T Modular Fabrication Facility in Kattupalli in Avadi police commissionerate, led to a clash between workers and the police on Tuesday.
Police said Amaresh Prasad of Azamgarh district, was employed as a welder on contract at the facility for the past one-and-a-half months. He was staying at the housing site called Kaveri camp, where 3,600 workers stayed in temporary sheds with ground and first-floor.
On Monday night, Prasad, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, slipped while trying to enter his room on the first floor and fell. His head struck a bench, causing severe injury, the police said. He was rushed in the company’s ambulance to Government Stanley Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Tension erupted when his colleagues demanded that the body be brought back to the camp. Police sources said they refused since the body could be handed over to the relatives only after a postmortem at the hospital.
The protest by the workers escalated when they allegedly started pelting police with stones on Tuesday morning. A larger group of workers joined them, escalating the situation, the police said.
Sources said the police had to resort to lathicharge to bring the situation under control.
More than 100 workers were detained, and 30 were remanded in judicial custody, the police said. The worker’s body was handed over to his brother, who came from Uttar Pradesh.
The police have registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the death. An FIR was filed against 30 workers for rioting, along with provisions of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. Avadi Commissioner K Shankar also visited the riot spot to ascertain the situation.