Worker goes missing after fight,mob attacks factory

The Ludhiana police averted a tense situation on Friday after an irate mob,comprising mainly factory workers,attacked the Poddar Cycles unit situated on the Ludhiana-Delhi highway. The incident took place around 8 am,after a group of workers came to the factory demanding the owners to release one of their colleagues.

One Sunil Kumar alleged,“My brother Sushil Kumar worked in this factory. On April 27,he had a fight with some other workers inside the premises,after which he went missing.” Adding to this,Sunil’s uncle Bal Kishan said,“We have been trying to trace the boy but have failed. We tried to approach the police but there was no response. We fear the boy is being kept captive by the factory owners,but they don’t even want to meet us.”

The workers then started pelting stones at the factory. The police immediately rushed to the spot,held talks with the angry mob and assured them of action. The police party,led by DCP Parmod Ban,took some workers inside the factory and searched the premises to locate the missing boy. He,however,was not found.

Ban said,“There was no laxity on the part of the police. The boy had gone missing since Tuesday and we received the information last night. Both factory workers and owners had assured us that they will look for the boy together. Something,however,went wrong today and the situation turned volatile. But it was immediately brought under control.”