Worker dies in Karnataka Labour Minister’s son’s factory

Naveen Basappa Chalavadi, 19, died of rapid blood loss after his hands were chopped off by a belt attached to a machine in the factory. Relatives told police that he was working in unsafe conditions

A worker died in VIPN distillery factory in Konankeri village in Haveri district of Karnataka on February 25.

Naveen Basappa Chalavadi, 19, from Dundasi village, died of rapid blood loss after his hands were chopped off by a belt attached to a machine in the factory.

Karnataka Labour Welfare Minister Shivaram Hebbar’s son Vivek Hebbar owns the factory.

The victim’s relatives told the police that he was working in unsafe conditions. He was an unskilled labourer who was made to fill iron pieces in a tub, near a very powerful machine with blades. “The machine had no safety net or other safety features. He died as the blood flow could not be stopped immediately,” they said.

Officers of the police station at Bankapur registered a case against six persons — Vivek Hebbar, general manager Manjunath, labour supplier Basavaraj, Umesh Surve, Vishwanath A.S., and Akash Dharmoji.