Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 26 (IANS): The Kerala Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe petroleum pump owners association will stage a one day token hunger strike in front of the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) office in Mumbai on May 15 to protest termination of petroleum dealership of SC/ST people.

Association President C.K. Mohini, in a statement, said that the HPCL did not comply with the procedure of conducting personal hearing before cancelling the dealership of SC/ST people.

He said that various judgments of the Supreme Court that state that the dealers have to be heard before terminating the dealership was never followed by the HPCL.

Mohini said that he and several others had submitted several representations to the higher officials of the HPCL to cancel the termination order but was never listened to. He said that the SC/ST dealers association have now sent representations to the President and Prime Minister.

He said that many of the dealers have lost their homes, and are in huge debts and on the verge of suicide. He said that several senior officers of the petroleum company were directly involved in terminating the dealership and alleged that it was mainly due to the fact that the dealers belong to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities.

He said that the dealers have submitted a letter to the Chairman of the HPCL and requested him to reinstate the dealerships or they will conduct indefinite protest in front of the petroleum company office.