Two held for labour leader?s murder

THE BODY of slain trade union leader of Triveni Sheet Glass Factory, Ghurpur, Amrendra Pandey alias Babloo, who was shot dead by three gunmen last evening, was taken to Daraganj cremation ghat straight from the mortuary instead of being taken to his house on the factory premises. The cops also wanted the body to be taken straight to the Daraganj ghat from the mortuary as they were afraid of another agitation by workers in case the body was sent to Ghurpur .

Body cremated amidst security

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THE BODY of slain trade union leader of Triveni Sheet Glass Factory, Ghurpur, Amrendra Pandey alias Babloo, who was shot dead by three gunmen last evening, was taken to Daraganj cremation ghat straight from the mortuary instead of being taken to his house on the factory premises.

The cops also wanted the body to be taken straight to the Daraganj ghat from the mortuary as they were afraid of another agitation by workers in case the body was sent to Ghurpur .

They heaved a sigh of relief after several leaders associated with trade union activities, including Anugrah Narain Singh, Harishchandra Dwivedi and KK Tewari agreed with the police who expressed their willingness to transport the family members of the deceased upto the cremation ghat in their vehicle.

On their part, the cops spent a tough time outside the mortuary since morning, waiting for the parents of the slain leader who were to come by a train from Bihar. They were expected to come straight to the mortuary from the railway station but instead they headed for Ghurpur. The change in programme of the parents brought tension on the faces of police officers who had been impatiently waiting for everything to be over smoothly.

Around 4.45 pm, it became clear following talks that the body would be taken to Daraganj ghat where the family members would join to perform the last rights.
The body was brought out from the mortuary amid chanting of slogans, ‘’Babloo ke hatyaron ko phansi do phansi do’’. It was an emotional moment as many workers of the factory could not withhold tears.

Babloo was the fourth to die for their cause, said the workers who held the factory management’ responsible for the murder. It was a planned murder by owner JK Agrawal as Babloo was a stumbling block for him and his management, alleged the workers in unison who had assembled at the mortuary. Three other union leaders were bumped off earlier at the behest of the factory management, said nearly everybody who had assembled at the mortuary.

The murder was the outcome of a rapprochement which the management felt was forced on them by the workers.

This happened on March 20. The management had agreed to pay the workers their dues ie Rs 12,000 per worker who had been earlier retrenched but were later taken back by the factory following an agitation.

Attempts were made to purchase Babloo Pandey but he stood for the rights of the workers, said trade union leader Harish Chandra Dwivedi . That Babloo was proving an eye sore to the management ultimately became the cause of his murder, alleged Dwivedi.

Meanwhile, SSP Vijay Singh Meena told Hindustan Times that efforts were being made to arrest factory owner JK Agrawal who is named in the FIR. Two other persons named in the FIR, GM CP Yadav and administrative officer KK Gupta had already been arrested, he informed.

Meanwhile , workers have demanded ex gratia payment of Rs 50 lakh to the wife of the slain leader who will have to bring up three small daughters and transfer of the murder case to the CB CID for further investigation. National president of Mahila Congress Rita Bahuguna Joshi, whose husband Dr PC Joshi was present at the mortuary, also demanded compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the family of the slain leader.

The workers have also resolved to form a human chain at Subhash crossing in Civil Lines on Monday in case the police failed to arrest JK Agrawal by then.
In the morning, they will wear black bands as a mark of silent protest.It may be recalled that the workers had come out on the road yesterday in protest against the murder, blocking the road and disrupting the movement of some trains by putting boulders on the railway track in Ghurpur.

The workers had also set a UPSRTC bus on fire and the PAC had to resort to lathicharge to control the mob.