Company denies involvement in Arunachal highway site assault

Jhandu Infratech has denied any involvement in an alleged assault incident reported from a highway construction site in the Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh, stating that the altercation was a personal dispute between two private individuals and not related to the company.

The incident reportedly occurred at a project site in Hunli being executed under the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited. Jhandu Infratech is engaged as a private contractor for the infrastructure work.

In a statement issued after the controversy surfaced, the company expressed regret over the incident but clarified that the project site unfortunately became the venue for a personal dispute between two individuals. The company further said that the parties involved have reached a mutually agreed-upon settlement.

“As a law-abiding company that strictly adheres to all compliance and workplace rules, we would like to state that the person accused in the incident has no association with Jhandu Infratech, as has been wrongly reported in certain sections of the media,” the company stated.

However, several labourers working at the site—many of them from Assam—have alleged that the incident began after a worker approached the office of the company’s managing director seeking an advance payment of Rs 10,000. 

According to the workers, the labourer had requested the advance due to an urgent medical situation involving his mother in his home village.

Workers claimed that after the request was allegedly denied, a heated confrontation broke out and the labourer was reportedly assaulted by four to five men, sustaining injuries to his head and ears.

According to fellow workers, the situation escalated further when another labourer went to question why his colleague had been beaten. He too was allegedly attacked and reportedly suffered a serious head injury, while a supervisor present at the site was also said to have been assaulted during the altercation.

Following the incident, the workers demanded justice and immediate payment of their pending wages, stating that their families depend on their daily earnings for survival.

The injured workers have also reportedly appealed to Himanta Biswa Sarma to intervene in the matter and ensure their safety and rightful payment.