Agitated workers gather outside the locked Lepetkata Tea Estate in Dibrugarh on Tuesday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Dibrugarh, Feb. 9: Agitated workers of Lepetkata tea estate today locked up the garden for the day following allegations of sexual assault by the garden manager on a 16-year-old casual labourer.

Several hundred labourers and people from the tea community, armed with sticks, sharp weapons and bows and arrows, gheraoed the garden’s factory and main office complex early this morning before locking the main gate.

The tea estate is 13km from here.

The alleged sexual assault came to light this morning after the boy, who was working as a casual worker at the manager’s bungalow since October, told the labourers that the tea estate’s manager had been constantly seeking sexual favours from him.

“After my regular work, sahab (referring to the manager) always asked me to massage his body and then would sexually harass me in various forms. He has been doing this ever since I joined service. He had also threatened to kill me if I disclosed the matter to anyone. I was afraid and kept quiet but it had become intolerable for me to bear this after which I decided to let people know,” the victim alleged before reporters on the garden premises this morning.

Sensing trouble as the workers became restive, the manager sneaked out through the back door of his office and fled.

After failing to find the manager at his office, the labourers became more agitated and launched a hunt for him.

The Dibrugarh district administration, after being informed of the matter, rushed in a team of magistrates and police officials with a huge contingent of CRPF personnel to the estate to control the situation.

No work was possible today as the workers locked the main entrance to the factory, and main office of the tea estate owned by McLeod Russel India Ltd.

However, representatives of the garden unit of Asom Chah Mazdoor Sangha, All Assam Tea Tribes Students Association and Lepetkata-Ghooronia Sramik Surakshya Samity intervened and managed to pacify the irate labourers in the presence of officials from the district administration and police.

The workers had earlier planned to launch an attack on the manager’s office.

The protesters also submitted a memorandum addressed to the Dibrugarh deputy commissioner, urging him to take strict action against the manager.

“We will not allow the manager to work in the garden. We are temporarily withdrawing the agitation only because of the assurances given by the administration and the police of strong action against the manager. We will resume our agitation if we do not see any result,” Sunil Robidas, the secretary of the Lepetkata-Ghooronia Sramik Surakshya Samity, said.

Dibrugarh deputy commissioner G.D. Tripathi said magistrate Bubul Lekharu, who had led the team of officials and police to the garden to prevent any outbreak of violence, had been asked to submit a report on the entire episode.

“As of now, we have not ordered any magisterial inquiry. First, we will analyse the report submitted by our officials, then if required we will order an additional deputy commissioner level inquiry into the incident,” Tripathi said.

Sidheswar Bora, the officer-in-charge of Barbaruah police station, said a case had been registered based on a complaint lodged by the family members of the victim.

“We have launched a massive manhunt to arrest the manager as we have taken up the case very seriously,” Bora added.

When contacted, the visiting agent of McLeod Russel, Nandu Gangolee, refused to comment on the issue.