On June 12, CPI(ML) staged a protest dharna at Durg Collectorate for ensuring jobs, safety and health-care for the agrarian labourers, and highlighting the demands of the dozens of the workers killed and injured in an accident at Akoli village when they were being taken to work in a sponge iron factory. These agricultural workers were forced to go to work in the iron factory, some 25 kms. away from their homes as NREGS was not implemented in their village. They were being carried in an overloaded luggage vehicle. Among the 13 dead workers 10 were women, and 25 workers were injured. Party leaders visited Akoli village and sent a memorandum to the Chief Minister against the insensitive attitude of the administration. They termed Chief Minister Raman Singh’s Vikas Yatra a hypocrisy and asserted that the Akoli killing of agrarian labourers had exposed the anti-poor, anti-peasant face of his government.
The protest was led by Comrades Brijendra Tiwari, Rajendra Pargania, Ashok Miri, ex. MLA and Minister DP Ghritlahre, Shyam Lal Sahu and others. The Akhil Bhartiya Satnami Kalyan Samiti joined the dharna and expressed solidarity
