Parties slam 'barbaric' police beatings of Indian workers

An Indian demonstrator pleads with riot policemen not to beat him during a violent demonstration in Gurgaon, a New Delhi suburb yesterday. Indian riot police and workers of the Indian unit of Japan's Honda Motor clashed for a second day on New Delhi's outskirts after nearly 130 people were injured in pitched battles on Monday. PHOTO: AFP

On Monday, policemen were seen hitting hundreds of cowering workers with canes after surrounding them. Many lay prone, bleeding from head injuries, as the police beat them repeatedly.

The police action in Haryana state just outside the capital New Delhi came after a march by more than 2,000 workers of Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India Ltd turned violent.

Workers had beaten up several policemen, attacked government property and burned an official's jeep earlier on Monday. The police response was dramatic.