Two policemen, including a DySP-rank officer, were injured when a peaceful protest by more than 2,000 workers of a textile company turned violent in the Butibori Industrial Area of Maharashtra's Nagpur district, an official said.
The workers of Morarji Textiles Company, protesting in support of their demands, pelted stones at police personnel deployed on duty at the demonstration site, causing head injuries to deputy superintendent of police (DySP) Bhimrao Tele and sub-inspector PSI Jagdish Paliwar, he said.
In response, the police resorted to cane-charge to control the violent crowd, said the official. The police official said some workers first consumed poison and then climbed onto a water tank to draw attention to their plight. The workers became agitated when the company management did not take notice of their protest and they began throwing stones at police personnel, he said.
The workers have been protesting for the past 13 days in support of their various demands. Their demands included payment of regular salary, bonus, compensation for layoff as well as reinstatement of suspended employees.