HYDERABAD: At a time when the expatriate community and governments are busy helping illegal or overstaying immigrants in Kuwait return to their native places, the alleged suicide of a worker from Telangana over non-payment of salary dues by his firm has left everyone shocked.
The body of 25-year-old Nagaraju, who hails from Mancherial district, will be sent to Hyderabad by flight on Tuesday night, confirmed a rights activist. The youngster allegedly hanged himself to death at his workplace on February 6.
But before dying, the young man recorded a message in which he said that he was taking the extreme step as he had not received salary in the last 2-3 months from his employer, a Kuwait-based cargo firm.
Activists say he was depressed as he was unable to provide for his family in Mancherial. The video statement, they said, could not be made public till his body was sent back home. “His elderly parents and brother are living in Mancherial. He is the sole breadwinner of the family,” said his relative Gopal. “Nagaraju made a call to his parents last on February 5. The young man worked very hard for four years in Kuwait to support his family. In that entire time, he got to visit India only once, about two years ago. His employer European Car Care Centre should compensate for the family’s loss,” Gopal added.
Kuwait-based activist Murlidhar Reddy slammed the fact that it has taken almost a week to send Nagaraju’s body back home. “We had to convince several stakeholders and officers to donate money to ship the body back home. Yet it took a week to complete the entire process. The Mancherial district collector also came forth to support,” he said.
AICC TS incharge Khuntia to help returnees in Kuwait
Led by AICC State affairs incharge RC Khuntia, a delegation of Congress Party leaders, will be leaving for Kuwait from Hyderabad airport on the wee hours of Wednesday. During their stay in Kuwait from February 14 to 17, the Congress Party leaders will help the amnesty seekers from Telanagana, who are struggling at Indian Embassy in Kuwait, in reaching their native places. “We will help the migrant workers who have been in Kuwait for several years and provide free air tickets to them. We will meet the Telanagana immigrants in that country and guide them on how to manage their finances in Kuwait. We demand that the state government too provide aid to the returnees from Kuwait,” said TPCC leader Nangi Devender Reddy.
MJ Akbar meets Indian workers
Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar, who is representing the country at the Iraq reconstruction conference being held in Kuwait, on Tuesday met Indian workers, who have been undertaking agitations for several days seeking payment of their salaries’ dues, outside Indian Embassy in Kuwait office. Last January, about 1,500 immigrants were abandoned by Kuwait-based company Kharafi National. The workers are in a labour camp.