Four arrested for fomenting riot

Surat: Sarthana police arrested four persons and booked 25 others on Saturday on charges of their alleged attempt to incite riot in an industrial area over the death of a labourer. The workers took to streets on Friday night at around 10.30 pm and circulated handbills in Odiya language in Diamond Nagar, a cluster of textile weaving units, and forced the labourers to stop work while hurling abuses.
Police arrested four labourers – Santosh Dalabehra, Subrot Jena, Onadi Khutiya and Mohan Reddy – for allegedly provoking the labourers and creating disturbance in the area. The complaint was lodged by Babu Sojitra, one of the unit owners in Diamond Nagar.
Police investigation so far revealed that a 41-year-old labourer died of heart attack on February 7 while working in a textile unit in Diamond Nagar in Laskana, an area in outskirts of the city. His relatives demanded compensation from the employer, while the body was sent for cremation to Odisha. When the discussion for compensation failed, the labourers created disturbance in the area.
“Kin demanded around Rs 7 lakh while the employer proposed to give Rs 2 lakh. Following failure to get the expected amount, the labourers started creating nuisance,” said a officer in Sarthana police station.
“Though the issue of compensation does not come under police's purview, police took immediate action as they started creating disturbance forcing other labourers to go on strike leading to riots. While the leaders are yet to be identified, the situation is normal now,” police said.