Six men claiming to be former Bata shoe company employees were arrested by police on September 8 over an alleged attempt to set fire to the Bata factory. Apparently, the workers were not recruited by the Bata shoe company but had been employed by managers of Bata sales centres on a contract basis.
Following the lapse of their contracts, the six had demanded that they be granted permanent employment. They then staged a roof-top protest, allegedly in possession of three cans of petrol, and threatened to set fire to the factory.
The employers notified the police who in turn sought the help of the fire brigade who attacked them with water cannons. This resulted in the roof giving way and led to two men falling into the third floor. They were taken to hospital.
The other four men were later arrested.
