Two-day Bharat bandh: Trade union leader crushed to death

A trade union leader, who was squatting along with a group of workers near the local bus depot as part of the two-day nationwide strike call, on Wednesday died when he was hit by a bus in his bid to stop it from plying, a senior Roadways official said.

"The incident took place around 4 am this morning when Narender Singh, a bus driver by profession, tried to stop the vehicle which was being taken out from the Ambala Depot despite the strike," district president, Haryana Roadways Workers Union's, Inder Singh Bhadana told reporters.

Bhadana alleged that the district administration tried to forcibly ply the bus, which hit Singh, who was also the treasurer of the  All India Trade Union Congress union, killing him on the spot.

After the incident, the other workers resorted to violence damaging vehicles belonging to the Ambala's deputy commissioner of police and SHO of the Baldev police station area, police said.

Meanwhile, Bhadana demanded a case to be lodged against the general manager of the roadways, failing which they will not allow the body to be cremated.

In view of the tense situation, heavy police force had been deployed at the bus depot and its surrounding areas.

Earlier, however, AITUC General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta told PTI that the victim was allegedly stabbed to death by some miscreants.

Apart from unions owing allegiance to the Left, the pro-Congress Indian National Trade Union Congress and pro-BJP Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh are also participating in the strike.

The unions have put forward a charter of 10 demands such as urgent steps to control price rise, strict enforcement of labour laws in all places of work, social security net for workers in the unorganised sector, end to disinvestment in PSUs and raising minimum wage to Rs 10,000 a month.