Bhubaneswar: Simmering discontent among suspended workers of a private steel factory in Orissa’s Bolangir district took a nasty turn today when some of them burnt alive a 60-year-old deputy general manager of the company.

Radheshyam Ray, DGM (Operations) of Graphite India Ltd’s Powmex steel division, was about to leave the factory at Turla in Titlagarh for lunch along with DGM (Marketing) Bichitrananda Panda when the incident took place.

The police said around 20-25 people — some of whom were issued termination letters on Thursday — surrounded his vehicle.

“They asked the driver and Panda to get out, poured petrol and kerosene over the vehicle as well as on Ray and torched it. More than 90 per cent of his body was burnt,” said Titlagarh sub-divisional police officer Gananath Joshi.

Ray, who was rushed to the Bolangir district hospital around 4 pm, was declared dead. “Only his feet were left untouched. There was no chance of survival,” said Dr Usharani Dash.

Ray lived with his wife and three daughters near the factory. Graphite India Ltd is a Calcutta-based public limited company owned by the KK Bangur group.

Bolangir Collector S N Dey said discontentment had been simmering for the past 5-6 years at the Powmex steel division, which manufactures high-speed steel and alloys.

“About one-and-a-half-years ago, 59 permanent and contractual workers were suspended. The matter reached the industrial disputes tribunal. Some workmen alleged they were suspended for a considerable period without any subsistence allowance,” said Dey.

Matters worsened after the Powmex division, headed by Ray, issued termination orders to 11 of them on Thursday. “Some of the people who torched him alive are reported to be among the suspended lot,” said a police official in Bolangir.

The police have so far arrested one person and have formed squads to arrest the rest of the people involved in the murder.

Source: Msn.com

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