After learning they were laid off, about a dozen workers doused the Jeep of the Factory executive with gasoline and setting it on fire, said police Superintendent Ajay Kumar Sarangi. – File Photo by Reuters

BHUBANESHWAR: Indian police detained two people after an angry mob of fired workers burned to death a senior executive of a steel factory, an official said Friday.

After learning they were laid off, about a dozen workers attacked a vehicle carrying Radhey Shyam Roy as he was leaving the factory in eastern Orissa state on Thursday, dousing the Jeep with gasoline and setting it on fire, said police Superintendent Ajay Kumar Sarangi.

Two other people in the vehicle were allowed to flee but Roy, 59, was trapped inside and later died of severe burns, Sarangi said.

Police were questioning two workers and their formal arrest on murder charges was likely, Sarangi told The Associated Press. The steel factory is in Bolangir district, nearly 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa state.

Incidents of industrial violence are common in India, where workers often target executives in cases of wage disputes and job losses.

In 2008, scores of dismissed employees of an Italian manufacturing company, Graziano Transmissioni India, used iron rods and wooden sticks to beat to death the company's local chief executive officer on the outskirts of New Delhi. – AP

Opinion

Editorial

On the brink
Updated 25 Sep, 2023

On the brink

Everyone and every sector has to rise together, in sync, if this country is to put itself on a progressive trajectory.
Sanaullah’s remarks
25 Sep, 2023

Sanaullah’s remarks

THE hypocrisy of our democratic leadership is a gift that keeps giving. Last week, the president of the PML-N in...
Print in digital age
25 Sep, 2023

Print in digital age

THERE is a shocking amount of disinformation out there in the Information Age. While electronic and social media ...
World Cup squad
24 Sep, 2023

World Cup squad

THE stress was on continuity — trusting and backing players who had been with the team — as Pakistan’s squad...
Mirwaiz freed
Updated 24 Sep, 2023

Mirwaiz freed

It is safe to assume that the release of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq could not have been possible without the green light from New Delhi.
Beyond lip service
24 Sep, 2023

Beyond lip service

UN SECRETARY GENERAL António Guterres did not mince words at the recently held Climate Ambition Summit: “Humanity...