The web site of the GNIDA says there is “round-the-clock patrolling by mobile police vans for law and order maintenance” in Greater Noida. Yet, Graziano has said police took hours to arrive on the scene, and Choudhary might have been saved if only they had reached sooner.

While the company spokesperson said that in January, the workers had registered with AITUC, the CPI’s trade union wing, general secretary CPI’s Gurudas Dasgupta told The Indian Express that there was no such affiliation.

Outraged industry organizations said the lynching damages India’s image among global investors. “It is definitely a deterrent to industrial growth. The atmosphere should be safe and sound for industry,” Amitabh Nangia, Chairman, CII Western U P zonal council, said. Diljeet Titus, chairman of the Northern region committee of the Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “Labour unrest takes place everywhere but it is unfortunate that in this particular incident, things went out of hand.”

The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce said the incident set a bad precedent for Uttar Pradesh, which needs investment and job opportunities. Assocham president Sajjan Jindal said, “The UP administration needs to take stringent action against those who have committed the gruesome act to restore confidence of investors in the state. Late on Tuesday evening, Chief Minister Mayawati announced an inquiry into the incident by the DIG, Meerut range. She said the incident was “unfortunate”, and her government was committed to the security of industry and entrepreneurs.

The Italian embassy expressed concern and hoped that the judicial system would prosecute the perpetrators. “The situation had been repeatedly brought to the attention of the competent Indian authorities both at Central and local level,” the Italian Embassy said in a statement today. “The incident is all the more worrying as Graziano Transmissioni, after many successful years, had been facing several months of violent forms of protests by self-proclaimed workers representatives”, it said.

... contd.