Manesar plant lockout appropriate: Haryana govt

"If they (Maruti) have announced it (lockout) then it is appropriate considering what workers have done at Manesar facility," Haryana Labour and Employment Minister Shiv Charan Lal Sharma said.

He added that the company must have announced lockout "after giving some careful thought".

Maruti Suzuki's General Manager Human Resources Awanish Kumar Dev was charred to death in the violence that erupted in the company's Manesar facility on Wednesday. Forty others were also injured in the scuffle.

"Why a company would like to give employment when its senior official died because of workers violence at the plant," he noted.

Earlier in the day, the company declared a lockout at the Manesar plant, stating it cannot risk life and safety of its employees.

He, however, feared that in case of lockout, companies usually take time in restarting production.

When asked whether the workers' union was influenced from outside elements, Sharma said, "Yes, workers are influenced from outside."

"They (workers) are completely wrong in getting into the violence (at Maruti Suzuki