Four labourers at JSW Steel Ltd. in Ballari district were stripped and assaulted by one of the steel plant's supervisors on Sunday.
A video leaked to the police and subsequently to the media shows the supervisor reportedly named Akash holding a rod and brandishing it at workers. Speaking in Kannada, he is heard warning them against asking for rest time while work hours.
Ballari Superintendent of Police R Chetan said that the incident occurred in the steel plant premises, but that no action has been taken as the workers have refused to file a complaint.
“We spoke to the workers and asked them to filed a complaint. But looks like the company and the workers have come to some internal understanding and so they have refrained from filing a complaint,” he said.
An official of the Godiganur police station, who urged the victims to file a complaint, said that there were many such instances in the past but this time there was video proof of assault.
Mohammed Rafi, Toranagalu police sub-inspector said that the steel plant officials have suspended the accused Akash.
“We have asked for the plant official's opinion on this incident. Based on their response we will decide what action is to be taken,” Rafi said.
Asked why a sou motu complaint could not be filed based on the video, Chetan said, “We will let them take a month’s time to decide. If they don’t, we will take legal opinion and file a suo motu case. Otherwise, if we will file the case under appropriate sections now, the next day the workers will accuse us of not including various other sections.”
JSW Steel Ltd. did not respond to The News Minute at the time of publishing.