Tea Workers Burn Boss And His Wife To Death In India

An Indian tea plantation owner and his wife were burned alive after their bungalow was attacked by up to 1,000 workers following a labour dispute.

The mob, which police said was dominated by women and children, later told police their employers had deserved to die and dared officers to arrest them.

The situation remained volatile on Thursday night, police said, and their first priority was to reestablish order around Tulapathar Tea Estate, in Tinsukia district in Assam.

The charred bodies of owner Mridul Kumar Bhattacharyya and his wife Rita were found on Wednesday afternoon.

Workers outside the estate openly told police and television crews that they had killed the owners because they had suffered cruelty and abuse at their hands.

"We all came and attacked the bungalow and set it on fire. They deserved to be killed as the planter has exploited us for a long time and tortured us for petty things," a tea estate female worker said on News Live local TV channel.