5 ms·

How about a more accurate title? "Company president has police kill union boss, workers go on rampage and kill president".

angrycoder 15y ago
Because it is a headline, not a summary.
- martythemaniak 15y ago
  Oh, I seem to have missed the Forbes headline on the killing of the union boss...
  - fleitz 15y ago
    You'd probably want to look for that in Pravda, Forbes caters to a certain audience, like Hacker News caters to a certain audience, like Pravda caters to a certain audience. I'm not saying it's right, but different publications cater to different audiences and appropriately select articles and headlines that will garner attention from that audience.
mark_up 15y ago
An eye for an eye isn't quite as attention grabbing as class warfare.
drats 15y ago
"Has police kill union boss"? I don't see that anywhere in the article, some people think it's the right of unions not only to strike but also to use force (to block people entering workplaces). If they are legally not allowed to do that (court order) and the police have to disperse them violently then the police are just doing their job. And even if the police overstepped the mark and used too much force I don't think murder of the owner is a valid solution.
- srik 15y ago
  My gut (and friends back home) say thats exactly what happened.
- martythemaniak 15y ago
  Well, we have no way of knowing whether he actually wanted him killed or "just" savagely beaten, but it doesn't matter. Second degree murder is still murder. Now, if you think this was some kind of routine police enforcement action that got out of hand and that the company boss had nothing to do with it, then I don't think you know how things work, especially in places like India. The police chief and top brass would most likely be part of the same social circles and would look out for each other's interests. In corrupt places, the power of the state is always readily available to the rich and powerful, whether it's quelling a labour dispute in India or a low-interest Fed borrowing window. Now, when I first read the title I was struck that a company president would be killed by workers, but after reading the article, it suddenly makes a lot more sense, doesn't it? Now that I think about it, it's also pretty sad that the killing of a labour activist doesn't surprise or shock me, but the killing of an executive does.
  - yummyfajitas 15y ago
    In this case, the union leader and others were trespassing and attempting to prevent others from peacefully selling labor at prices lower than his. The police responded violently to prevent this. What's the problem? It's sad that the factory owner needed to be part of the same social circle as the police to have the rule of law enforced, but that doesn't change the fact that the police were merely enforcing the rule of law. If a gang leader was trespassing inside a bank vault, and the police beat him with a lathi, would you similarly object?
    - bandushrew 15y ago
      "The police responded violently to prevent this." "What's the problem?" maybe that the police responded violently? and killed someone unnecessarily? "It's sad that the factory owner needed to be part of the same social circle as the police to have the rule of law enforced, but that doesn't change the fact that the police were merely enforcing the rule of law." If the rule of law allows for murder, then the rule of law is wrong and operating under it is no defence. "If a gang leader was trespassing inside a bank vault, and the police beat him with a lathi, would you similarly object?" yes? if the police have already caught him, what possible cause could they have for beating him unnecessarily?

angrycoder 15y ago

Because it is a headline, not a summary.

martythemaniak 15y ago
Oh, I seem to have missed the Forbes headline on the killing of the union boss...
- fleitz 15y ago
  You'd probably want to look for that in Pravda, Forbes caters to a certain audience, like Hacker News caters to a certain audience, like Pravda caters to a certain audience. I'm not saying it's right, but different publications cater to different audiences and appropriately select articles and headlines that will garner attention from that audience.

mark_up 15y ago

An eye for an eye isn't quite as attention grabbing as class warfare.

drats 15y ago

"Has police kill union boss"? I don't see that anywhere in the article, some people think it's the right of unions not only to strike but also to use force (to block people entering workplaces). If they are legally not allowed to do that (court order) and the police have to disperse them violently then the police are just doing their job. And even if the police overstepped the mark and used too much force I don't think murder of the owner is a valid solution.

srik 15y ago
My gut (and friends back home) say thats exactly what happened.
martythemaniak 15y ago
Well, we have no way of knowing whether he actually wanted him killed or "just" savagely beaten, but it doesn't matter. Second degree murder is still murder. Now, if you think this was some kind of routine police enforcement action that got out of hand and that the company boss had nothing to do with it, then I don't think you know how things work, especially in places like India. The police chief and top brass would most likely be part of the same social circles and would look out for each other's interests. In corrupt places, the power of the state is always readily available to the rich and powerful, whether it's quelling a labour dispute in India or a low-interest Fed borrowing window. Now, when I first read the title I was struck that a company president would be killed by workers, but after reading the article, it suddenly makes a lot more sense, doesn't it? Now that I think about it, it's also pretty sad that the killing of a labour activist doesn't surprise or shock me, but the killing of an executive does.
- yummyfajitas 15y ago
  In this case, the union leader and others were trespassing and attempting to prevent others from peacefully selling labor at prices lower than his. The police responded violently to prevent this. What's the problem? It's sad that the factory owner needed to be part of the same social circle as the police to have the rule of law enforced, but that doesn't change the fact that the police were merely enforcing the rule of law. If a gang leader was trespassing inside a bank vault, and the police beat him with a lathi, would you similarly object?
  - bandushrew 15y ago
    "The police responded violently to prevent this." "What's the problem?" maybe that the police responded violently? and killed someone unnecessarily? "It's sad that the factory owner needed to be part of the same social circle as the police to have the rule of law enforced, but that doesn't change the fact that the police were merely enforcing the rule of law." If the rule of law allows for murder, then the rule of law is wrong and operating under it is no defence. "If a gang leader was trespassing inside a bank vault, and the police beat him with a lathi, would you similarly object?" yes? if the police have already caught him, what possible cause could they have for beating him unnecessarily?