EPF row: Did Karnataka govt fiddle while Bengaluru burned?

Bengaluru: Did the state government know there would be a massive garment workers’ protest in the city on Monday and yet fail to do anything to make sure it did not go out of control?

Home minister Dr G. Parameshwar may well have opened a Pandora’s box admitting that intelligence agencies had warned the government a day before the protest, which worsened into a showdown between the cops and protesters on the second day on Tuesday. “We wanted to talk to the protesters but they were leaderless, there was no one to talk to,” he disclosed.

Blaming anti-social elements for converting a peaceful protest into a lawless mob, the minister said the police had to exercise restraint because of the huge number of women protesters, which limited their options for controlling the crowd.

There were gas cylinders in a building adjacent to Hebbagodi police station which was set on fire. If they too had been set ablaze, 500 people would have been killed, he said explaining the hapless situation the police found themselves in.

What happened in Bengaluru and its outskirts on April 18 and 19 is an insight into the State and City's Intelligence apparatus, which failed to predict and preempt large scale violence and destruction of public and private property by unruly and anti social elements in the garment factory workers protest against the Central government's proposed amendment to the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) rules, which restricted withdrawal of funds before the age of 58 years.

"Every police station is also responsible for collecting ground Intelligence in their area and the issues that can trigger law and order situation. They are supposed to be shared with their higher ups and passed on for timely and appropriate action as part of their daily routine.

Since it is an unorganized and oppressed sector there were chances that the anti-social elements would sabotage the silent protest with violence and arson. The police was targeted and the Hebbagodi police station was set on fire. The Intelligence should have anticipated trouble and handled the rowdy elements to prevent them from indulging in violence. They should have mapped the rowdy sheeters in the areas, where there are maximum garment factories and taken preventive action," said former Intelligence chief Gopal Hosur.

He added that the police alone should not be blamed for the Intelligence failure. "What was the Labour Department doing? Why didn't the Intelligence wing in the Labour Department inform the police about the anger against the proposed PF amendment? Even the political leadership including the Opposition, local leaders and corporators, who are people's representatives are responsible for collective failure to prevent the arson. Intelligence gathering cannot be done in isolation," added Hosur

He said that an alleged rumour; that the amendment would absolve the employers from making their contribution to the employees' PF account upped the ante and led to mob fury in which some rowdies indulged in rioting and violence.

The plight of woman garment workers

Women comprise about 96 per cent of the garment factory workforce because women can take the amount of abuse and oppression that exists in these sweatshops. A woman alone can take so much abuse and not raise her voice or demand a hike in her salary because she has to fend for her family. No man will take so much abuse
—A woman employee

They hire women because they are cheap labour. They are good at their work and can work for extended hours without demanding a raise or their voice against any kind of oppression. They can handle higher
production targets and it is
easy for factory owners to hire and fire women at their fancy. They get '272 as their daily wage with a minimal annual increase in their dearness allowance of around '15
—Jayaram K.R., member of Garment & Textile Workers Union