Family members protest against deaths of three workers at Tata plant in Krishnagiri

COIMBATORE: Family members of three workers who died of asphyxiation while cleaning a sewage treatment tank at Tata Electronics in Krishnagiri refused to receive their bodies at Krishnagiri Government College Hospital on Tuesday. The deceased, Sarathi Kumar (25) of Belrampatti, Akmal Babu Bhai (28) of Thinnur and Kaveri (32) of Jambooth near Anumanthapuram, all from Dharmapuri, were employed as contract workers at the Marigold plant involved in manufacturing mobile phone components.

The three workers were engaged in cleaning a sewage treatment plant on Monday evening, when they lost consciousness after inhaling toxic gas and died. Their bodies were sent to Krishnagiri Government Medical College Hospital for postmortem.

On Tuesday, the relatives of the deceased gathered at the hospital and refused to receive the bodies. They raised an issue over engaging workers in hazardous cleaning work without adequate safety equipment.

As tension prevailed, a large number of police personnel were deployed at the hospital as a precaution. The protesters also broke into a heated argument with police and attempted to stage a road blockade.

Following this, Superintendent of Police GS Anitha, along with the contractor, held talks with the protesters. They then called off the protest and received the bodies after long hours of persuasion. Meanwhile, Krishnagiri District Collector C Dinesh Kumar has directed Tata Electronics to submit a detailed action-taken report in connection with the death of three workers at its facility.