Chaos reigned at a Kitex Garments unit in Kerala last Christmas night, when a group of migrant workers ran riot, injuring eight policemen and damaging several police vehicles. Around 174 migrant workers from the Northeast, Jharkhand and West Bengal have been arrested although the company claims only 23 were involved in the disturbance.

       This then became part of an ongoing political tiff between Kitex Garments, which runs a political party Twenty 20 and rules four panchayats, and the CPM-led government. Local CPM leaders are blaming the company for the violence and the company claims ...