Delhi workers hoping to reach Gurgaon factories clash with police at border

“Earlier, these workers used to cross the Udyog Vihar border. Due to the additional restrictions, they were not permitted this month. They started using a wall on the outskirts of the village to enter Gurgaon. We stopped them as they did not have passes. An argument broke out over this,” said inspector Devender Singh, SHO of Palam Vihar police station.

Police said around 9 am, an argument escalated into violence, with some workers pelting stones at personnel. A 1- minute-19 -second-long video shows workers along a narrow lane of the village and a police team shouting at each other. At one point, a woman can be seen picking up a stone and flinging it at a police officer. A man standing next to her stops her from flinging more stones, and another says: “Don’t throw stones, let us talk.”

Eyewitnesses said the violence began with “3-4 men” pelting stones at police, with others joining in.

Veerpal Singh (45), a factory worker, said, “I was outside my house when I saw a group of men attacking police. Initially, police couldn’t understand what was happening. There were only two constables there. Soon, other men joined. Policemen then called senior officers and they used lathis to beat the men.”

Shanu Sharma (30), who works at a denim store in Udyog Vihar, said the violence started at the wall and spread to the village. “Two-three shops were damaged. After police overpowered the mob, they took around 10-15 men with them,” he claimed.

Police denied allegations of major violence. “We managed to explain the situation and resolve the matter. Nobody was seriously injured,” said the SHO.

For now, the route has been sealed. SHO Devender Singh said: “The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram had repaired that wall today, which will prevent people from crossing the border in this illegal manner.”