NEW DELHI: Two fact-finding reports enquiring into the sequence of events leading to the lathi- charge on Honda Motorcycles and Scooter India (Pvt.) Ltd. (HMSS) workers on July 25 say that the brutal attack suggests a planned act of state violence.

A Citizen's Committee Enquiry Report and a report by the Peoples Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) Report, say that the district and police authorities appear to have had clear instructions to inflict violence on the workers to break their efforts at organising themselves. Pointing out that incidents of violence against the police by retrenched workers who were being stopped from registering their protest was a spontaneous reaction, the reports say that workers were persuaded to march to the Mini Secretariat to submit a memorandum to District Commissioner (DC) Sudhir Rajpal, where they were lathi-charged by a large police force mobilised by the district administration from neighbouring police stations.

The Citizen's Report, which has been submitted to the National Human Rights Commission, questions the mandate of Mr. Rajpal in appearing before the workers in riot gear and leading a lathi-charge against them. The report says that the actions of the police were in violation of the Haryana Police Manual, which says that in order to disperse an agitating mob, it should use teargas before resorting to a lathi-charge. According to the manual, even in a lathi-charge, the police are not supposed to hit above the shoulder and is not supposed to follow a crowd that is dispersing.

The report says that an illegal lockout at the HMSI factory continued for a month in spite of genuine efforts from workers to break the deadlock. The Citizen's Report said that despite repeated tri-partite meetings involving the District Labour Commissioner, the management was adamant in keeping out workers who formed the HMSI Workers' Union. It says that 2700 Honda workers were retrenched by HMSI on June 27 because they had registered with the Honda Motor Cycles and Scooter India Employees Union.

Putting the onus of the July 25 incident on the HMSI management, the report says that events before July showed how the management had threatened workers. It says the incident was preceded by frantic efforts by the management to recruit a temporary workforce by changing the recruitment policy from one of recruiting staff with an assurance of absorption after a specified period of training, to one of recruitment with no assurances on the part of the management.

The report has recommended that a high-level enquiry be set up by a sitting judge nominated by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to look into the matter. It recommends that all missing workers be traced, and those not found be deemed dead, and adequate compensation paid to their families. The DC and the Superintendent of Police in charge should be suspended and transferred for a fair enquiry.

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