Colleagues set crane ablaze, driver held
VASCO, JAN 3
Agitated workers of a private shipyard went on rampage, after one of their colleagues was crushed to death under the wheels of a crane mounted with heavy vehicles in Pinky Shipyard, Zorinto-Sancoale, on Monday morning.
According to reports, Raju Chauhan (24) from Jharkhand was crushed to death under the wheels of the crane, which was allegedly driven in a reckless manner by driver Dinesh Yadav (25) of Azamghar-UP.
Raju was working as a rigger in the company under a contractor from Surat-Gujarat.
The workers got agitated after they learnt that the shipyard office allegedly wanted to hush up the case by shifting Raju’s body before police could arrive at the site. Irked with the move, hundreds of workers set the crane on fire and brought the work to a grinding halt in the shipyard for the entire day.
Nearly 500-odd workers alleged that the company office tried to hush up the case by shifting Raju’s body.
Rajeshkumar Choudhari, a worker, who was present when the accident occurred, said the deceased was wearing safety shoes. “The speeding crane driver failed to sight the deceased and Raju was crushed to death,” said Choudhari.
“The crane driver was busy listening to music on his mobile phone and was driving in a negligent manner,” added Choudhari.
An agitated worker set the crane on fire and completely stopped the work claiming that Raju would not get any due compensation as his body was shifted before police could arrive at the site and panchanama not being done.
Workers further claimed that the deceased might not get the compensation, as earlier also similar things have been witnessed by few labourers.
“How person could be alive when his brain is smashed and company rushed him to the hospital,” asked an agitated worker S K Gaikwad.
Defending the action of company office to shift Raju’s body, Pinky Shipyard Officer Garggi said: “Considering the aspect that he could be alive, we shifted the deceased in company ambulance to the hospital, but he was dead.”
Pinky Shipyard General Manager Capt I F Fernandes said: “The deceased will get due compensation as his Provident Fund, ESI and Insurance is covered. However, its lot more dependent on the contractor, as the deceased was contract labourer.”
The Fire Brigade rushed to the shipyard to douse the blazing crane. A large number of police personnel from Verna Police also rushed to the site to bring the situation under control, as workers went on rampage when some company officials took the gate pass of the deceased.
“We arrested crane driver Dinesh Yadav under Sections 279, 304 (a) of IPC and have registered an offence against the workers, who set the crane on fire,” said PI Jivba Dalvi.
