Itanagar, March 14: Jhandu Infratech has denied any involvement in an alleged assault incident reported from a highway construction site in Lower Dibang Valley district, stating that the altercation was a personal dispute between two private individuals and not connected to the company.
The incident reportedly took place at a project site in Hunli, where infrastructure work is being executed under National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited. The company is engaged as a private contractor for the project.
In a statement issued after the controversy surfaced, the firm expressed regret over the incident but clarified that the project site had unfortunately become the venue for a personal dispute between two individuals. It also said that the parties involved had reached a mutually agreed settlement.
The company stated that it strictly follows compliance and workplace regulations and maintained that the person accused in the incident has no association with Jhandu Infratech, adding that certain media reports had incorrectly linked the individual to the company.
However, several labourers working at the site, many of whom are 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 rejected, a heated confrontation broke out and the labourer was reportedly assaulted by four to five individuals, leaving him with injuries to his head and ears. They further alleged that when another labourer questioned why his colleague had been beaten, he too was attacked and reportedly sustained a serious head injury. A supervisor present at the site was also said to have been assaulted during the altercation.
Following the incident, workers demanded justice and the immediate release of their pending wages, stating that their families rely on their daily income for survival. The injured labourers have also reportedly appealed to Himanta Biswa Sarma to intervene in the matter and ensure their safety and the payment of their dues.
