Industrial activity in Haryana’s Gurgaon-Manesar belt was crippled by a strike called by unions on Tuesday to protest the death of a worker during a clash at an auto component manufacturing unit here.

Thousands of workers from Rico Auto Industries, Sona Koyo Steering Systems, Hero Honda Motors, Bajaj Motors’ Narsingpur plant and Lumax Industries, among others, sat on dharna outside Rico. They were protesting the death of Rico worker Ajit Yadav, on Sunday.

Around 10 am, the agitating workers beat up Sanjeev Arya, a deputy general manager at Rico, at the manufacturing unit’s gate while he was on way to meet the district administration to sort out the issue, senior company officials said.

The protestors submitted a memorandum to Gurgaon’s additional deputy commissioner, seeking compensation of Rs 50 lakh for Yadav’s family. They are also demanding police action against those guilty, and a job for one member from Yadav’s family.

Satbir Singh of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), which is leading the strike along with CITU, said the company should also recognise the union and pay Rs 5 lakh each to families of those injured in Sunday’s clash.

While company officials said between five and 11 persons were injured, workers put the figure at 40.

Today’s strike affected units in Gurgaon-Dharuweda belt, extending up to Baawal and Rewari.

Surendra Singh, senior vice-president (HR) of Rico Auto Industries, said the agitation began on a small scale in August, when a “segment of workers demanded that their salaries be raised by Rs 10,000 annually”. He said, “The management was willing to hold talks with them but they resorted to indiscipline, even violence. After several warnings, we were forced to suspend 16 workers for disciplinary reasons in September.”

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