Mamata Banerjee assures industry that violence will not be tolerated

Asserting that violence in the name of trade unionism would not be tolerated, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said six people have been arrested in connection with the killing of the chief executive officer of North Brook jute mill.

Replying to a question in the state assembly, Banerjee assured the captains of industry that the guilty in yesterday's killing would be punished and she would do everything to ensure that justice is done in the case by dealing with the matter with strong hands.

The government would not tolerate violence in the name of trade unionism, she said adding six persons have been arrested so far in the case. The police has been asked to take necessary action.

"There is no place for violence in a democracy," she said while holding unruly sections of jute mill workers belonging to CITU and BMS responsible for the unfortunate death. While one trade union belonged to CPI(M), the other belonged to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

If the workers had any issue with the management, they should seek a peaceful solution, as that is the only solution.

Rejecting demands by Congress MLA Manoj Chakraborty of a CBI probe into the case, Banerjee said the government has an administrative mechanism and the police is taking action. She said she has spoken to the district superintendent of police and Finance Minister Amit Mitra who went to meet the mill owner after the incident.

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On the killing of four TMC supporters at Raidighi in South 24-Parganas district, she said four persons have been arrested and others will be arrested soon, ''however mighty they are.'' She described the attack as a pre-planned one and said this was unimaginable.

Trinamool Congress leader Partho Chatterjee blamed CPI(M)'s 'harmad vahini' (goons) for the incident which led to a walkout by Left leaders.

"How can they use such unparliamentary language in the assembly," Opposition leader Surjya Kanta Mishra told reporters outside the house where the opposition members shouted slogans. 

The jute mill management has pasted suspension of work notice on the gate of mill last night citing labour unrest.

The SP said 12 persons were named in the FIR lodged by the company and six of them --Md Azharuddin, Bikash Tanti, Swapan Singh, Mukunda Gupta, Md Aslam and Rabindra Chowdbe -- were arrested. More arrests would be made as the FIR also mentioned 200 unnamed people who were responsible for the killing, he said.

Maheswari's last rites would be held tomorrow after his son's return from Chicago, police sources said adding the body was kept at the morgue of the Serampore Walsh Hospital after post-mortem. Maheswari's widow Sunita Devi today sought justice for her slain husband.

It was unbelievable that a man like Maheswari who was popular among the workers and who stayed inside the factory premises was lynched by the workers, she said.