Maruti Suzuki still investigating the violent conflict that shook its Manesar plant

As per the reports issued by the country's largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), the internal inquiry on the violent conflict at Manesar plant is still on and the auto maker is still bewildered on whether to commence production or not. In its statement, the auto major said, “The internal inquiry by the company to identify all the culprits for the Manesar violence is on course. The company continues to extend full support and cooperation to the police and administration.”

MSIL is hoping that the state police have managed to arrest more and more culprits associated with the incident. All the union leaders at Manesar plant, including Ram Mehar, President of Maruti Suzuki Worker Union, have already been put behind the bars. Haryana’s Director General of Police, Rajeev Dalal confirmed the aforementioned statement. Mehar was on the run ever since July 18, 2012 when the unfortunate incident took place, which claimed the life of a General Manager, HR, Avanish Kumar. The arrested union members will appeal for a 10 days remand period in court on August 9, 2012.

Furthermore, MSIL stated, “The company continues to be concerned about the safety and security of its people, hence is not in a position to take a decision on resuming operations at the Manesar plant.”

The Manesar plant resembles a closely guarded fortress at present with hundreds of policemen serving their duty inside the plant premises. The car manufacturer hinted that the plant will commence the operations only after being confident about the safety of its employees. The parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) too echoed the sentiment saying that even though the plant is ready to restart, but will continue to stay shut until safety prevails. MSIL said, “The management has also met all the supervisors and managers of the Manesar plant.”

Reacting to the situation, Haryana government put together a Special Investigation Team (SIT) with Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ravinder Tomar in lead. Furthermore, one of the best and the veteran criminal advocate KTS Tulsi is appointed as the public prosecutor. The legacy of Tulsi alone is the proof of seriousness of the case and Haryana state's commitment towards the same.

President, Criminal Justice Society of India, KTS Tulsi gained fame after successfully fighting for the rights of victims of Uphaar tragedy for almost a decade. Interestingly, he never accepted any remuneration from the victims of the tragedy. His eminence is underlined by the cases he was part of, like Bombay bomb blasts and Calcutta bomb blasts. He was also the lawyer for the SIT, which investigated the Rajeev Gandhi Assassination case.

Judging by the magnitude of efforts put in by both MSIL and Haryana government, one can safely conclude that the Manesar plant will be soon up and kick off its operations with enhanced security. Recently, MSIL also took the initiative to provide its workers cheap housing accommodation. For this, the car maker has already started scouting for land in the state where it will provide at least 1,500 low cost flats to its workers. This is to further improve the labour relations and living conditions of Maruti Suzuki’s blue-collared employees.