Darjeeling, April 14: The
management of Ging Tea Estate has decided to reopen the garden tomorrow
after seven workers accused of assaulting the garden’s assistant manager
surrendered in a Darjeeling court.
Sandeep Mukherjee,
the principal advisor of the Darjeeling Tea Association, said: “The
management of Ging Tea Estate has decided to reopen the garden tomorrow
after it was learnt that all seven workers involved in attacking the
assistant manager surrendered in a court here.”
Two workers, one
of them garden supervisor Harsha Gurung, surrendered in the court of the
chief judicial magistrate on Friday. The other five surrendered today.
All the accused have been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.
The decision to
reopen the garden, locked since April 10, was taken after the management
and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha affiliated Darjeeling Terai Dooars
Plantation Labour Union, held a meeting in Darjeeling today.
The management had, however, specifically blamed the seven workers for the attack and not the union.
“During the
meeting the union leaders gave an undertaking to the management that
such indiscipline would not occur in future and all differences would be
solved amicably through a negotiation process as laid down in the
industry’s norm,” said Mukherjee.
On April 9, a
group of workers, led by Harsha had attacked the garden’s assistant
manager, Dipesh Kumar Gupta, 28, while he was on his way for lunch.
“We are still unclear about the reason. It could be a personal grudge,” said Mukherjee.
The management had
alleged that the assistant manager was hit with iron roads and empty
bottles and other executives who had gone to intervene were pelted with
stones.
“The assistant
manager is still in the ICU. He has suffered cranial injury and his
shoulder has been dislocated. There was also heavy loss of blood,” said
Mukherjee.
Suraj Subba,
general secretary of the Morcha’s tea garden union, said: “We are happy
that the management has decided to reopen the garden. We will also go to
the workers to inform them about the need to abstain from violent
activities.
“We, were always
of the opinion that the majority of the workers should not suffer
because of the handiwork of a handful of workers,” he added.
The garden owned by B.D. Tea Estates Pvt. Ltd, has a plantation area of 254 hectares and employs 776 workers.
The Telegraph
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