Tension prevailed after hundreds of agitating workers, who had been denied wages for a long period, were beaten up by the security in front of the main gate of the Monnet Power ltd at Angul on Friday.
Around 500 workers, many of them seriously injured, fled from the spot apprehending more action against them from the vengeful company security force and police. Many of them hid themselves in forests and agriculture land. Scores of injured workers were also waiting at railway station and bus stand in Angul headquarters town, without food and proper cloth, to flee home in order to escape the wrath of the police and company security forces.
Sources said hundreds were denied payment of wages in last 3 to 4 months by UB Construction, a contract firm employed to construct a boiler of the Monnet Company. After repeated pleas with Monnet’s chief operating officer B Mohapatra, workers failed to get their just and legal dues. Without getting wages for a long period, many workers could not pay credit for their daily ration and thus were living in miserable condition. This had forced aggrieved workers at last to demonstrate in front of plant gate.
However, the security force of the company mercilessly beat the workers. Some workers also retaliated and ransacked the securitym office.