Maruti plant unrest: Key accused arrested

Gurgaon: The main accused in the Maruti Suzuki's Manesar plant violence, Jiya Lal, was arrested on Thursday. His arrest came almost a month after the factory was shutdown following the violence in which a Maruti official was killed.

Maruti factory workers allege that the supervisor had made castist remark against Jiya Lal which led to a spat and then violence at the plant. While over 100 were injured in the clashes, an HR manager was charred to death in the July 18 incident.

Meanwhile, Maruti Suzuki is understood to have decided on resuming partial production at Manesar plant by next Tuesday. "Almost all the assessments have been completed and partial resumption of the Manesar plant is likely next week. Monday being a holiday, it is likely that work will resume on Tuesday," a source said.

Maruti factory workers allege the supervisor had made castist remark against Jiya Lal which led to the violence.

While the labour issue remains a factor, the initial work is mostly expected to be in the automated divisions of the plant, the source added.

The company had declared a lockout at the Manesar plant on July 21 following violence and arson.

The Haryana government had announced formation of a special investigation team (SIT) headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Ravinder Tomar with six inspectors to probe the incident.

On August 1, the police had arrested 10 office bearers of the Maruti Suzuki Workers' Union, including its President Ram Meher and General Secretary Sarabjit Singh, taking the total number of workers arrested to 114 in relation to the incident.

(With additional information from PTI)

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