Managers were attacked with car parts their units made

The sight of 50 to 60 people running towards you with sharp auto parts and iron rods is going to give me nightmares for the rest of my life."

This is how Rajesh Kumar Malhotra, manager at the weld shop at Maruti Suzuki's Manesar plant, described Wednesday's violence at the factory.

Currently in hospital with multiple fractures, Malhotra said he was getting ready to go home around 6 pm when he got a call informing about the clash. He was warned that a group of workers armed with iron rods was marching towards his department and that he should flee.

"Before I could react, I saw a group entering the weld shop. They pinned me down and assaulted me with rods. After taking a few blows, I pretended to have passed out. Otherwise, they would have killed me. When they saw I was not reacting, they left me and moved out. I somehow managed to get up and sneak out of the cabin," he recalled.

Several officials escaped the rampage by hiding in "unusual" places inside the factory and stayed there till the clashes were over.

Some of them saw workers running to the assembly line and pulling out auto parts to use as weapons. They attacked the managers with these parts and tools such as screwdrivers, spanners and hammers.

S A Siddiqui, a senior supervisor, said: "Everybody feared for their lives. Hiding in corners, we were desperately waiting for police to take control of the situation. Around 8 pm, I managed to jump off the factory wall."

The Maruti Suzuki management said more than 100 officials had to be hospitalised. Most of the injured were rushed to City District Hospital in Old Gurgaon, while 36 of them —- including two Japanese officials —- were admitted to Artemis Hospital. Some are being treated at Medanta Medicity and Paras Hospital.

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