A 26-year-old man hailing from Jharkhand’s Dumri block in Giridih was reportedly killed in a gunfight in Jeddah on 16 October. The state labor department has approached the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia to help bring his body back to India, officials said.
Shikha Lakra, team leader at the Migrant Control Cell under the Labor Ministry, informed that the department received information from Giridih about the death of a migrant worker in Saudi Arabia and a request to bring his mortal remains, a PTI report said.
Lakra mentioned, “We have immediately contacted the Indian Embassy and are trying to contact the police authorities in Jeddah to complete the formalities and then take the body to his native place in Jharkhand.”
How did his family find out about his death?
Speaking to PTI, Sikander Ali, a social activist working on the issue of migrant workers, said that the youth, identified as Vijay Kumar Mahato, a native of Dudhpaniya village in Madh Gopali panchayat under Dumri block of Giridih district, was employed as a tower line installer in a private company for the past nine months.
While claiming that the shootout was between the Jeddah police and an extortion gang, Ali said, “On October 16, he sent a voice message on WhatsApp to his wife Basanti Devi that he was caught in the crossfire and was injured. Devi informed her in-laws, but they were under the impression that he was receiving treatment. On October 24, the company where he worked at the time of the shootout informed them that he had died.”
He added: “I came to know about the case on Friday and informed the Ministry of Labor and the Giridih District Administration to not only bring back the body but to arrange compensation from the Saudi authorities for the poor family members of the victim.”
Jharkhand Government to make contact with 48 migrant workers
Meanwhile, the Jharkhand labor department has made contact with 48 migrant workers from the state stranded in Tunisia in North Africa through the Indian embassy and the process of verifying their documents is underway, officials said on Friday.
Lakra told PTI that on the orders of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, they have managed to reach out to the migrant workers and are coordinating with the Indian Embassy in Tunisia. “We have spoken to the migrant workers who are said to be stuck with a private firm in Tunisia and are verifying their documents. We are also in touch with the officials of the Indian Embassy in Tunisia to ensure their safe return to their native places,” Lakra said.
While taking note of the situation of the migrant workers, Soren went to X on Friday and instructed the Deputy Commissioners of the three districts, Bokaro, Hazaribagh and Giridih, to facilitate the safe return of the workers.
