Condemns firing on tea-workers in Assam
Source: NEFIS *
Imphal, December 15 2017:
North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) condemns the firing of bullets on tea-garden workers in Numaligarh area of Golaghat district in Assam.
It should be known that the workers who had been denied their wages by the tea-garden owners, Samir and Sudhir Roy, gathered on December 12 at the owners' bungalow in order to press for their pending wages.
However, instead of paying them the owner became infuriated at the workers' protest and on workers' persistent demand for clearance of their dues, they fired upon them.
The firing grievously injured at least 20 workers.
Not surprisingly, the Assam Government under BJP has not only failed to condemn the incident, but has posted CRPF personnel in anticipation of protests that the workers may organize.
It should be known that the tea-workers work under highly oppressive conditions in Assam tea gardens.
They have historically been exploited and outrightly coerced to work, in active collusion with the state.
The owners, as in the present case exercise quasi-magisterial powers over the workers, with beatings and abuses being a prominent feature of working atmosphere at tea-estates.
The state's inaction in the past has engendered abusive work environment in tea-estates and its apathy continues to foster it.
NEFIS condemns state government's apathetic attitude towards the plight of tea-workers and demands an immediate probe to look into their working conditions in Assam.
It also demands that the victims' families be provided adequate compensation.
Action should also be taken against labour department officials for allowing such illegal work-relationships to function unhampered.
* North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) can be contacted at nefis(DOT)delhi(AT)gmail(DOT)com .