Two days after hundreds of workers from textile factories here clashed following a shutdown call, police on Tuesday detained 26 people for allegedly provoking the unrest. Most of the detainees ran WhatsApp groups that were allegedly used to incite people, police said.
On Sunday afternoon, scores of workers stormed two embroidery units at Vedant Eco Park-2, an industrial estate in Surat’s Amroli suburb. When the owner did not yield, they turned off the power, bringing the powerloom units to a halt. They demanded their weekly off on Sundays, a reduction in the working hours from 12 to 8 hours and a wage hike.
Two FIRs were registered at the Amroli police station against the workers, charging them with rioting, unlawful assembly, trespass and other sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. As the unrest spread to the southern suburbs of Sachin, Udhna and Pandesara by Monday, the police’s help was sought.
Surat’s textile industry almost ground to a halt in March after workers, hit by the LPG crisis following the US-Iran War, went back to their home states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha. It was only by May that the factories returned to work with full force, even as the market demand rose with the wedding and festive seasons beginning in a month.
On Sunday afternoon, scores of workers stormed two embroidery units at Vedant Eco Park-2, an industrial estate in Surat’s Amroli suburb. (Express Photo)
On Tuesday afternoon, the agitating workers raised their issues before labour department officials in a meeting convened by the police in Amroli. The officials assured them that their demands would be discussed with textile factory owners soon.
On Sunday afternoon, when the agitators reached the Vedanta Eco Park units, they allegedly threatened the workers there to vacate the premises or face dire consequences. Owner Vishal Goti asked the agitating workers not to threaten his employees and to leave. In response, the agitators turned off the main power supply line, bringing all the machines to a standstill.
Goti lodged a complaint at Amroli police station against over 250 individuals who forcibly shut down his factory on Sunday and Monday.
An FIR was registered under BNS sections 189 (3), 190 (unlawful assembly), 191 (2) (rioting), 122 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt upon receiving grave and sudden provocation), 329 (4) (house-trespass), 296 (b) (obscene songs, poems, or words in or near a public place), 351 (2) (simple criminal intimidation) and 61 (2) (criminal conspiracy).
The incident at Amroli turned violent as the police tried to stop the agitating workers, who allegedly resorted to stone-pelting. A police constable from the Surat Crime Branch, Atulkumar Dubey, who suffered a head injury, lodged a complaint at the Amroli police station against a ‘mob’ of 400-500 textile workers.
On Monday afternoon, a large group of people took to the streets and forcibly closed operational factories at Hoziwala industrial estate in Sachin. Factory owners called the police, after which the mob dispersed.
Goti, the embroidery unit owner, said, “There are over 250 embroidery units in [Vedant Eco] Park 1 and 2 and neighbouring industrial units. The industry had not been running well over the past few months since there was no major demand, and many workers had left for their native states due to the LPG shortage. The industry recently started operating with a full workforce and returning to normalcy. In such a time, if unrest takes over, then it will definitely affect our timely delivery of orders. We’ve not been giving workers their weekly off as a peak season is coming.”
Goti added that both industrial parks (Eco Park 1 & 2) resumed functioning on Monday. “Police are patrolling the industrial belt in Amroli. This has sent a strong message to the agitators.”
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 5) Lakhdhirsinh Zala said, “The situation is now under control, and all the factories are operational in Amroli and other areas of the city. A police team is in touch with industry owners, and we have intensified patrolling. We have also talked to the industry owners to contact us if they face any disturbances.”
DCP Zala added, “We found that the workers didn’t have a platform where they could put up their issues. Some people took advantage of it and spread inciting messages on social media. In the stone-pelting incident on the police and the injury to a police constable, we detained 26 people. Most of them are admins of WhatsApp groups that spread inciting messages.”
Many workers had stormed two embroidery units at Vedant Eco Park-2 in Surat’s Amroli, demanding weekly off on Sundays, reduced working hours and a wage hike. (Express Photo) 
On Sunday afternoon, scores of workers stormed two embroidery units at Vedant Eco Park-2, an industrial estate in Surat’s Amroli suburb. (Express Photo)
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