Oct. 1: The turmoil in the tea gardens of Upper Assam today spilled over to the relatively calm Barak Valley with a powerful workers’ union threatening to “take control” of Jirighat tea estate if the rate of bonus was not hiked.

On Monday, five workers of Khobang tea estate in Tinsukia district were killed when police, CRPF and Assam Tea Protection Force personnel opened fire on a mob protesting the management’s refusal to pay bonus at the rate of 20 per cent.

Seven persons were thought to have been killed, but Tinsukia deputy commissioner Bhupendra Nath Das clarified this afternoon that Etuwari Sumu Kalindi and Jonas Kharia, initially presumed dead, were actually in coma and undergoing treatment at the Assam Medical College in Dibrugarh.

In Barak Valley, the Intuc-affiliated Cachar Cha Sramik Union (CCSU)’s threat to take over Jirighat tea estate set alarm bells ringing. The Surma Valley branch of the Indian Tea Association (ITA) blamed the management of Jirighat tea estate for the impending crisis, saying the workers became aggressive only after their wages for two weeks were frozen.

The secretary of the association, Sumanta Guha Thakurta, expressed concern over the “recalcitrance of the management” of Jirighat tea estate, located on Cachar’s border with Manipur, to pay bonus to workers for the third consecutive year.

Jirighat tea estate, owned by the Calcutta-based Jirighat Native Tea Company Ltd, has 800 workers.

A leader of the CCSU said his organisation would not wait long for the management to take a decision in favour of the workers.

Industry sources said conciliatory talks between the ITA and CCSU were under way in Silchar and Karimganj to end the dispute over bonus announced by some other gardens. The companies that own Silcoorie, Roopcherra and Martycherra tea estates have agreed to pay bonus at the rate of 9.33 per cent, as against the workers’ demand for 15 per cent.

In another development, the Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) sought reports from the chief secretary, the home commissioner, the director-general of police and the Tinsukia superintendent of police on the incident in Khobang tea estate two days ago. They are required to submit the reports within a week.

The commission issued the notices after taking cognisance of a petition filed by the All Assam Students Union. The rights panel asked its director (investigation) to institute an inquiry and submit a preliminary report within a week.

A bandh called by the Assam Tea Tribes Students Association over the incident affected life in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts. Garden workers tried to block National Highway 37 in parts of the twin districts and pelted vehicles with stones.