Around 500 permanent and temporary workers of the Motihari sugar factory and their family members take out a silent march in the town on Tuesday. They took out the rally in protest against the factory management’s failure to pay salary and retirement benefits to the employees since 2002. With alms bowl in hands, the agitators demanded the dues amounting to almost Rs 85 crore. Later, they submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate with their demands addressed to chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. The employees also threatened to go on a hunger strike from November 22 and set themselves on fire if the government did not intervene in the matter by November 24. On October 14, the employees had gone on a fast-unto-death but the movement was called off on the assurance of the East Champaran district magistrate, Jitendra Shrivastava. According to a report, more than 100 employees of sick sugar units in East and West Champaran districts died of penury over the past few years. Text by RN Sinha, picture by Ajit Kumar Verma