Murderous attack on HR Head questions employee relations scenario in Gurugram area again

Assume that you engage a trainee, and don’t re-employ him, he builds pressure on you, deliver threats and intimidate you and when you as HR person express your inability to provide re employment, you are shot at by that trainee/apprentice and his accomplice. Should HR person discharge his functions in Haryana at the cost of his life, where industrial relations scenario has confronted with mindless violence on management professionals and no signs of improvement appears even after passage of much time?

Once again this has happened on 7^th June in Mitsuba Sical India Pvt. Ltd. established in 2008 who set up a manufacturing facility in Pathredi village at Bilaspur- Tauru road in Haryana. It comes in Gurugram district. This Japanese factory manufactures auto electrical products mainly for Maruti.

Dinesh Sharma is Head HR there. Joginder, an apprentice/trainee was removed around three months back as per unconfirmed sources. Disgruntled Joginder along with some other persons started building pressure on Dinesh Sharma to get him re employed.  The day before the incident as per FIR, one Daya Chand master called Dinesh at Bilaspur Chowk, where Joginder, Krishan and 8-10 other persons were there. Dinesh was clearly threatened that if Joginder was not taken back, he will be shot. Next day Dinesh, HR Head while coming from his house in sector 43, Gurugram to Factory, at about 8.20am, reached near GITM College on Tauru-Pathredi road, two persons on motorcycle indicated him to stop, but he did not but accelerated, then he was shot at from the right side smashing window glass and ran away. Bullets penetrated at back of Dinesh Sharma. He managed to continue driving till the office, where his co-workers rushed him to Rockland Hospital in Manesar where he is recovering. Police have registered a case at Bilaspur police station under relevant IPC sections. Three people have been named in the FIR, including the sacked employee and his brother. The attackers, one of whom was later identified as Joginder, managed to escape from the spot. Police have arrested main accused Joginder and Daya Chand, while a hunt is on for one Krishan and others, also involved in the crime.

The matter did not just stop here. After few days, the co. received a threatening letter, in which it is said that either terminate the services of Dinesh Sharma in fifteen days otherwise another Sharma is on target. Co. management have handed over the letter to the police for further investigation.

The incident is not as simple as it appears on the surface and neither should it be dismissed as an isolated incident of violence not impacting the whole industrial environment. It appears an act of professional criminals with organised efforts to eliminate HR Head and disturb industrial peace.

The day before the incident as per FIR, one Daya Chand master called Dinesh at Bilaspur Chowk, where Joginder, Krishan and 8-10 other persons were there. Dinesh was clearly threatened that if Joginder was not taken back, he will be shot. Next day Dinesh, HR Head while coming from his house in sector 43, Gurugram to Factory, at about 8.20am, reached near GITM College on Tauru-Pathredi road, two persons on motorcycle indicated him to stop, but he did not but accelerated, then he was shot at from the right side smashing window glass and ran away. Bullets penetrated at back of Dinesh Sharma.

There remain many unanswered questions:

• Engaging trainee for fix period and then relieving them is common practice and nothing unusual in the industrial area. Almost every industry employ trainees?
• Why the negative behaviour and criminal attitude of the assailant could not be noticed by the management earlier at the time of recruitment or in between during the training period?
• Is it only an instant provocation of a person to shot at HR Head for the simple reason that he was not able to re employ him when he was removed three months back?
• Were there any more specific/acute reasons than simple issue of re employment which management or HR was not aware of or could not ascertain?
• What were the compelling reasons for the injured Dinesh Sharma to go outside the factory and meet all those assailants on their call and put his life in danger?
• When Dinesh was being threatened regularly from some time back, what top management did to provide protection to HR head and why matter was not reported to police for proper action to maintain law and order situation?

The co. management and police might be investigating the whole circumstances and situations which led to this unfortunate violent incident but for company management now priority should be to:

1. Review the entire HR policies and practices and take corrective measures where needed, to ensure that employer relations are not further deteriorated.
2. HR/IR should not be construed as second class function and management should empower HR to deliver in collaboration with other department managers.
3. It is generally seen that there lies a trust deficit among workers and department heads and between department heads and HR. Both do not appreciate each other’s point view. This conflict gives rise to unpleasant incidents. There is high need of collaborative approach in managing functions of people issues.
4. The recruitment policy should be stringent enough to filter anti social/criminal/ bad elements even before they are offered for employment. Top management should understand its importance and give enough time to HR for appropriate recruitment.
5. Managers must soil their hands and learn human psychology to read mind and emotions of employees with devoting time with employees at floor to remove trust deficit.

Management should be bold enough to handle intelligently political interference in recruitment’s.