HYDERABAD: Migrants Rights Council (MRC), an NGO working for Gulf migrants, submitted a memorandum to chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy here on Friday, urging him to release Rs 15 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to come to the rescue of six Telugu persons who have been languishing in a Dubai jail for six years.
On December 29, 2005 a Dubai court awarded imprisonment for 24 years to the six Telugus and four Pakistanis in a case of murder of a Nepalese. The Telugus are Shivaratri Mallesh and Shivaratri Ravi from Peddur in Sircilla mandal; Nampelli Venkati alias Gollem Nampelli from Chandurti mandal; Dandugula Laxman from Konaraopet mandal; Shivaratri Hanumanthu from Manla, Mallial mandal; and Syed Kareem from Turuka Kashi Nagar in Kodimyala mandal. The last one has been jailed for 10 years. Shivaratri Mallesh and Ravi are siblings.
The members of the family of the deceased agreed to pardon all the ten convicts as per the Sharia (Muslim Personal Law) if they are ready to pay Rs 15 lakh to the wife of the deceased. As per Sharia, causer of a death can be released from jail if the family of the deceased grants pardon but the causer should pay “Diya” (blood money) to the deceased’s family as a fine.
On behalf of the six Telugu labourers, a UAE-based Telugu advocate, Anuradha Mallimoggala, along with social workers Y Srinivasa Sharma, Juvvadi Srinivasa Rao and Miryala Rajagopala Rao, negotiated with the deceased’s brother Til Bahadur. Bahadur had given a written statement that the family would excuse all the 10 imprisoned if they were ready to pay Rs 15 lakh towards Diya.
As all the families of the six workers are economically poor, the Migrants Rights Council submitted a memorandum to chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday urging him to release Rs 15 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to rescue the six poor Telugu workers.
Speaking to Express, MRC vice-president M Bheem Reddy said the six persons were desperate for state government’s help to come out of jail. “They are the sole breadwinners of their respective families, and no one from their families is in a position to pay Rs 15 lakh for their release,’’ he said.
Shivaratri Ramulu, father of Mallesh and Ravi, also urged the chief minister to release Rs 15 lakh to save their sons and the four other Telugus.