Employees of Ranchi-based ailing PSU Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) Limited blocked the road leading to its headquarters in Dhurwa on Thursday to protest lathicharge on their colleagues on Wednesday night.

HEC Majdoor Union president Bhawan Singh said that over 200 employees squatted on the road to protest against the lathicharge by the Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF, a unit of the Union home affairs ministry).

“Workers were demanding their pending salaries and arrears for the last 19 months from the finance director (Rajesh Kumar Dwiwedi), personnel director (A.K. Behera) and production director (S.D. Singh). But they were not willing to talk with us on Wednesday. At this few workers blocked the gate. At this the directors called up the CISF jawans who heckled us and also resorted to mild lathicharge leading to minor injuries to several employees,” alleged Bhawan Singh.

The irate employees then resorted to blockade of the road from 7am on Thursday which continued till 5pm.

“We removed the blockade after personnel director and production director assured us that our demands had been placed before the ministry and a portion of the pending payment would be cleared soon,” said Bhawan Singh.

He also claimed that all the injured employees were safe and had been released after first aid.

The road leading to HEC headquarters also links to the state secretariat at Project Bhawan and is considered among the most sensitive roads.

However, Ranchi deputy commissioner Rahul Singh feigned ignorance about any road blockade agitation.

“I am not aware of any road blockade agitation at HEC headquarters,” said Singh.

Employees claim that nearly 2,800 employees are on the brink of starvation because of non-payment of salaries for 19 months.

Leaders of the INDIA bloc in Jharkhand had staged an agitation this month at the Raj Bhawan in Ranchi and submitted a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through the governor requesting modernisation and revival of HEC and clearing pending salaries of its employees and officials.

Employees along with INDIA bloc leaders have also staged an agitation at Jantar Mantar in Delhi last month in support of their demand.