Production at Tata Motors halted

On 29 August 2008 operations at the Tata Motors factory in Singur, which is located approximately 28 mi/45 km from Kolkata, were halted after thousands of workers refused to work due to ongoing protests at the site. Police officers escorted approximately 3,600 employees out of the factory after farmers, who were protesting against the acquisition of land for the Tata Motors facility, warned workers not to return or they would be assaulted. Other workers failed to turn up for work when farmers made similar threats as employees were coming into the factory. Protesting farmers threatened to continue the protest if the government does not return the 400 acres of land that it reportedly took illegally to sell to Tata Motors.