"It is our bounden duty to ensure that the guilty be given exemplary punishment with speed and trial commences so that punishment to perpetrators of the crime becomes an example for others not to indulge in such incidents," Haryana Industry Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala told PTI. A senior Maruti official was killed and 100 others were injured in violence at the plant last week. The police have arrested over 100 workers following the incident. The state government and the company are separately investigating the incident.
Surjewala said the violence was not spontaneous, and it was a "designed" act to damage industrial peace in the state. "Prima facie, it is a concerted effort to disturb industrial peace...it is not a spontaneous (incident) and it is also not a labour unrest issue," he said. Condemning the recent incidents at the Manesar plant, AARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry President Vikramjit Sahney said violence at industrial units will dent India`s image as a manufacturing base and a conducive investment destination.
"Acts of violence besides physically shedding blood sullies the image of India as a manufacturing base and as a conducive investment destination especially in view of the economic slow down," he said in a statement. Also official sources told PTI that the state government is "advising" industries to maintain "cordial relations" with their workforce in a bid to prevent repeat of violence witnessed at the Manesar plant.
"Industry owners (in Haryana) are being advised to maintain good relations with their workers by sharing and addressing their genuine concerns or grievances at the earliest," official sources said. The main intent behind issuing advisory is preventing a repeat of the Manesar incident in any part of industrial belt of the state. The company has, however, ruled out stopping bookings for these models.
"We do not have any stock of Swift and DZire at our factory. About 10,000 cars of both the models are on transit and that is the inventory at present," Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Chief Operating Officer (Marketing and Sales) Mayank Pareek told PTI. When asked if MSI would stop taking orders for these models, he said: "Our booking is going on and we will not stop it. We have informed the dealers and customers about the situation.