Siliguri, Nov. 16: More than 2,000 people, including workers and their families in the closed Nowera Nuddy Tea Estate, blocked the Lataguri-Chulsa road for eight hours today, demanding police action against hooligans who were creating terror and the immediate reopening of the garden.

Nowera Nuddy — one of the four estates owned by Tata Tea in the Dooars — has been shut since September 14 after the management declared an indefinite suspension of work.

The garden that has 922 permanent workers is located around 65km from Siliguri.

“The labourers are fed up with these hooligans, who were earlier associated with the CPM and are now with the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad,” Samir Roy, general secretary of the West Bengal Cha Mazdoor Sabha, affiliated to the Hind Mazdoor Sabha, said today. “They had assaulted one of our leaders in the garden earlier and are responsible for the closure of the estate, leaving thousands of people jobless. Even yesterday, they threatened some workers.”

“We demand police action against them. The administration should mount pressure on the management for the immediate reopening of the estate,” he added.

The management had declared a lockout in the garden earlier following an attack on the estate medical officer, R.K. Ratan Singh, on August 10 by some workers. After many rounds of talks initiated by the administration, it was decided on August 27 that the garden would be reopened the next day and an inquiry would be conducted into the attack on the doctor. The agreement said the workers accused of assaulting Singh would not be allowed to join work till the probe was completed.

However, the accused labourers did not abide by the accord and continued to attend to their duties, forcing the management to walk out of the garden on September 14.

This morning, the workers initially sat on a dharna in front of the garden gate for two hours. At 11am, they started blocking the road at Nowera, prompting civil and police officials to rush to the spot.

“We will not withdraw the blockade unless the administration specifically tells us that the criminals will be arrested and the garden will be reopened,” said Pulin Goldar, another leader of the trade union.

Vandana Yadav, the Jalpaiguri district magistrate who was out of station, called up Roy. “She assured us that our grievances would be redressed by next Saturday. We submitted a letter, addressed to her, to the Malbazar BDO,” said Roy.

The blockade was withdrawn at 7pm.