Chamba, June 11
Baboo Ram, district president of CITU, and two labourers were beaten to death and their bodies thrown into the Ravi at Dakog on the Chamba-Bharmour highway, around 47 km from here, last night. Work on the 300-MW Chamera hydroelectric project (Stage-III) is under way at this place.
The killed labourers were later identified as Dhan Singh Bhandari of Uttranchal and Vijay Singh of Paonta Sahib. Another labourer Parmod Sharma of Paonta Sahib was injured in the incident.
These persons had gone to Khadamukh to meet functionaries of the Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) that had been executing the civil work at the project site.
They were led by Baboo Ram. The aim of their visit was to apprise HCC functionaries of the local residents’ demands that included giving 70 per cent jobs to them. But the functionaries of the HCC became infuriated and intimidated them. They asked them not to hamper the construction activity, otherwise they would have to face dire consequences.
While these persons were returning to their homes, a gang of around eight persons, allegedly belonging to the HCC, waylaid them and started beating them up with iron rods. They were later seen dragging them towards the river.
Parmod Sharma, though hit badly by the assailants, managed to escape from the spot taking advantage of darkness. Now he is the only eyewitness to the incident.
On receiving the information this morning, the district authorities reached the incident site to investigate into the case. Panic and grief prevailed in the area.
Residents of the surrounding areas got enraged on coming to know about the incident. Hundreds of residents, including the kin of the deceased, assembled on the Chamba-Bharmour highway and blocked the traffic at Dakog.
CITU and Kisan Sabha activists and local residents said they would did not allow the authorities to lift the bodies until those involved in the incident were booked. Tension prevailed and the violent mob damaged some vehicles on the highway.
According to sources, two bodies, including that of Baboo Ram, were
found lying on the riverbed, while the third was suspected to have flowed away with the gushing water.Activists of CITU and the Kisan Sabha are planning to take up the matter with their central command.
Expressing grief and sympathy with the bereaved families, Mr Harsh Mahajan, Animal Husbandry and Urban Development Minister, has apprised the Chief Minister about the episode.
Shimla: The state committee of the CPM has condemned the killing of three CITU activists at the Chamera-III power project in Chamba district.
It alleged that the goons of a private company involved in construction of the project was behind the killings.
The party alleged that private construction companies executing works of power projects in the state were violating labour laws and exploiting workers.
They were not even paying minimum wages to workers and also denying medical facilities, compensation in cases of injury and death during work besides other benefits.
It demanded that the culprits be arrested and the management of the construction company taken to task. Besides giving a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of those killed, the company should be blacklisted and all construction projects awarded to it be with drawn immediately, it added.
