Scores of people have been detained after blocking highways in protests against an alleged mass food poisoning incident at Foxconn India’s manufacturing plant in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, where 150 workers fell ill and were hospitalised.
“Nearly 70 women and 22 men have been detained since Saturday for blocking the highway,” an official said, Reuters reported.
Earlier, the Thiruvallur district administration said there was an outbreak of “acute diarrhoeal disease” among Foxconn employees.
256 patients were treated as out-patients, while 159 were hospitalised.
The plant manufactured iPhones for the Indian market. Foxconn had planned to invest up to $1 billion to expand its unit in Sriperumbudur. The plant is part of the Sriperumbudur-Oragadam zone, located near Chennai.