Ferozepore: The railway movement in Punjab came to a standstill on Tuesday as several thousand workers and employees went on a lightning strike to protest against beating of two rail worker leaders by the C.R.P.F. at Ferozepore
According to a spokesman of the northern railwaymens union certain gangmen had a dispute with a home guard and a special police officer. Divisional president Faqir Chand secretary T.R. Gautam and branch secretary Gurdip Singh went to the site for investigation but the C.R.P.F. men detained them and took them to their camp and tortured them. Faqir Chand and Gurdip Singh were later admitted to the civil hospital Ferozepore. All workers of Ferozepore division immediately went on strike while elsewhere workers followed suit to disrupt the entire movement.
The workers called off their strike only after the deputy commissioner ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident.
It is after a long time that workers of the northern railways struck work this time not for any financial gains but on a matter of civil & human rights vis-a-vis the excesses committed by Indian state.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 24, 1992
