Tension prevailed at the English Indian Clays Ltd. (EICL) at Kochu Veli for several hours on Saturday after an employee was found dead on the company premises.
The deceased was identified as Prafullakumar, 50, of Madhavapuram, Veli, a contract employee at the EICL. Angered over the death, EICL employees prevented the police from shifting his body from the premises.
The EICL has been the venue of a protracted labour struggle after the company halted operations on August 10, 2020, citing losses. Employees have been staging an indefinite protest outside the company gates ever since.
‘Act against company’
Prafullakumar’s body was found hanging on the company premises around 6.30 a.m. on Saturday. After an alarm was raised, employees gathered in large numbers and demanded the presence of the District Collector and action against the company management.
The Pettah police have registered a case for unnatural death and launched an investigation.
A section of employees have raised suspicions about the death and demanded an investigation. According to them, Prafullakumar had visited the protesters’ pavilion on Friday, but was missing in the evening. A complaint had been lodged with the police on Friday in this regard. Prafullakumar’s wife Maheswari said he was upset over the lockout at the EICL, but she could not believe that he would take such an extreme step.
Discussions with staff
Later in the day, Subcollector M.S. Madhavikutty and senior police officials held discussions with the employees. Minister for Cooperation Kadakampally Surendran also visited the EICL and spoke to the employees. Subsequently, the body was shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital by 3.30 p.m. for autopsy after Prafullakumar’s family also demanded that the body be released.
The EICL, part of the Thapar Group of companies, had halted operations at its units at Kochu Veli and Thonnackal on August 10, 2020, citing mounting losses and shortage of raw material Kaolin.
Prafullakumar leaves behind his wife Maheswari, son, Alan and daughter Aleena.