A private marketing firm here has been accused of subjecting its underperforming employees to degrading treatment, including making them walk on their knees like chained dogs and lick coins from the floor. The state Labour department has ordered a probe into the alleged inhuman workplace harassment after the disturbing visuals were aired by local television channels. As the issue came to the light, state Labour Minister V Sivankutty ordered an inquiry into the undated incident and instructed the district labour officer to submit an immediate report on the incident. The visuals purportedly showed a person using a leash to force a man to crawl on his knees on the floor, resembling a dog. Later, some employees told a TV channel that those who fail to achieve targets were subjected to such punishments by the management of the firm. According to police, the incident allegedly took place in connection with a private marketing firm functioning in Kaloor and the crime allegedly occurred a...
Several parts of India grappled with unusually high temperatures this week, forcing schools to close and hospitals to create special units to treat heat-related illnesses, while workers on construction sites were given a "paid holiday" in the afternoon. Here is a look at what caused the unprecedented heat in the country. HOW UNUSUAL HAS THE SITUATION BEEN THIS YEAR? While every year temperatures in India tend to peak in the months of May and June, the number of heatwave days recorded over northwestern and eastern parts of the country this season have been more than double the normal, with eastern India also experiencing its hottest April on record. India declares a heatwave day when the maximum temperature in any given region is 4.5 -6.4 degrees Celsius higher than normal. Parts of the country have touched new highs in terms of the maximum temperature, including Delhi, which recorded the country's highest ever temperature at 52.9 C (127.22 degree F) on Wednesday. Wh...