A trade union leader died after being hit by a bus in

Ambala, Haryana when he was trying to stop it from plying, sparking tension in the district where authorities have imposed prohibitory orders. 55-year-old Narendra Singh, who was squatting along with a group of workers near the local bus depot, died when he was hit by the bus, a senior Roadways official said. Ambala Deputy Commissioner Shekhar Vidyarthi said initial official investigations have revealed that the death was a "case of accident". However, on the demand of the Roadways employees, the incident would be thoroughly investigated and necessary action would be taken, Vidyarthi said. Section 144 has been imposed in the district and heavy police force deployed at the bus depot and its surrounding areas after the workers pelted stones at a police station and damaged vehicles belonging to Ambala's Deputy Commissioner of Police and a local SHO parked in the bus depot. In the evening, 12 persons including two scribes were injured during a lathi charge by the police in Ambala to disperse the protesting Roadways employees from blocking the natioinal highway. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda described as "unfortunate" the incident in which the driver lost his life. On being asked about the state government's future course of action on this incident, Hooda told reporters here that "law would take its own course." Meanwhile, there was no impact of strike on industrial production with industry claiming that manufacturing activity remained normal. "Factories ran normally and most of the employees joined their duties," Vardhman Textile, CMD, S P Oswal said. There was no impact on medical services at Post Graduate Institute of Medical, Education and Research (PGIMER) with hospital authorities put in place to prevent any adverse impact of the nationwide strike in providing medicals service to patients. About 2,000 contractual labourers and Safai Karamcharis observed strike while PGI authorities claimed that they had asked its permanent staff to perform duties of striking workers in order to prevent any disruption in medical services. Reports pouring in from various parts of the region including Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Ropar, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ambala indicated members of trade unions carried out protest march and blocked traffic to display their anger against alleged anti-employee policies of Centre. Meanwhile, a statement issued by CITU Punjab General Secretary Raghunath Singh claimed receiving massive response from industrial workers and employees of center and state government departments. Singh said agitating employees of several organisations including postal department, BSNL, insurance also participated in the strike call while members of CITU with the support of workers of Brick klin, Anganvari, Midday meal scheme carried out protest march at several places to press for acceptance of their demands.