Police today registered cases under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against a nine -member gang which had vandalised the corporate office of Nitta Gelatin, an Indo-Japanese joint venture company here.
Kochi City Police commissioner, K G James, said "none had been taken into custody so far. Cases under UAPA had been registered against the nine persons".
The men with their faces covered and armed with iron pipes had barged into the office of Nitta Gelatin at Panampilly Nagar yesterday and destroyed glass panels, computers and furniture.
Only the security personnel and housekeeping staff and two of the company employees were in the premises when the incident took place at around 8 am, police said.
According to police sources said the attack was well planned.
Company Managing Director, Sajiv K Menon, told reporters today that the incident was not isolated as NGIL had been singled out since the past 6 years and was being 'victimised unjustifiably by systematic violence'.
The attack on the company would send a wrong message to the present and prospective investors, thus harming the potential investment climate of the state, he said.
Earlier, there had been interruptions to the functioning of the Ossein plant, sabotaging company's properties and equipment, prevention of company's staff from entering or leaving from the factory, blockages of goods movements, he said.
The company's main raw materials are cattle bones, generated in big volumes in the country on a daily basis, which, in fact, would have been a major threat to the environment, if left unused.
"We are transforming this colossal waste into wealth and are major foreign exchange earners exporting our products to many countries worldwide," he said.
Most of the company's products are essential ingredients in the pharmaceuticals industry where it is used in many life-saving drugs among others, Menon pointed out.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in a statement stated that conflicts or differences in opinion should be resolved through mutual dialogue and discussions.
Individuals should not resort to violence to resolve conflicts as was observed against the attack on Nitta Gelatin's office, it said.
Incidents of this nature will negatively impact the business climate in the state and will adversely affect investor's confidence, the CII stated.
