The Mari Gas trade union hung banners at the company premises calling for the regularisation of workers and an end to contract work. Administrative officers and contractors asked Usman Mahar, vice-president of the Mari Gas trade union, to remove the banners, but he refused. After the protests, on 9 March, as he was returning home, five masked men in a car stopped him, shoved him into the car, blind-folded him and drove away. He was allegedly taken to an undisclosed place and tortured. The men threatened to kill him if he did not withdraw the demands for the regularisation of contracts. He was kept for two days until 11 March when the kidnappers ran into the police as they were changing hideout. After an exchange of fire, they fled leaving him behind.
Usman has since filed an official complaint against several persons at the company, but the police has not yet taken any action. An accused contractor stated that Usman had made the kidnapping up to protect his job.