Harassed by employers, woman immolates self

NASHIK, April 3: Labour unrest at the poultry farm of Nicholas Breeders India Ltd of the C and M Group at Vani Khurd, where police had opened fire on February 8 injuring one person, took a new turn on Thursday, when a sacked woman employee set herself ablaze, blaming the management.

Sangeeta Yakub Dive, 25, who was staying in the company’s quarters, attempted to immolate herself, accusing the management of driving her to suicide. She was rushed to the Nashik civil hospital and then to Mumbai as her condition worsened. Sangeeta, incidentally, had met district collector Amitabh Joshi on March 30 and alleged that the company had resorted to unfair labour practices. The same day she accused the management of obtaining her resignation under duress.

Executive director of the company MG Kokil, when contacted, said that Sangeeta had resigned on her own and that her immolation attempt had nothing to do with the company’s affairs. He claimed that Sangeeta had been caught red-handed with another man, by her husband,leading to her immolation attempt. He accused the CITU union of twisting the issue to gain public sympathy and maligning the image of the company.

Sangeeta and her husband were both employed with the company for the past two years. . While the company maintains that her extra-marital affair led to her suicide bid, the CITU has blamed the management.