Fear and frustration force abandoned staff to turn violent

[email protected] (Emirates 24 7)
December 22, 2011

shrj

Sharjah, December 22: An Indian worker who stripped naked and turned violent had to be tied up and shackled by his colleagues in Sharjah.



The 34-year-old Bhushan T, who is from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, has been working with Systems Engineering since last four years. The owner of the company fled earlier this month, leaving almost 500 employees with unpaid dues for six months.


“He was so distressed with the state of affairs that he started behaving strangely, almost a week ago,” said Siddique, one of his colleagues.


“He is very agitated. He picked up unnecessary fights. Stripped naked outside and was even arrested by the police, who later let him free. He was even beaten up by some Chinese men living in a nearby camp,” he added.

“It is not just him, we all are agitated by the state of affairs,” he added.



Bhushan whose visa expired almost a year ago is married with two children and has a loan of more than Rs100,000 that was borrowed from India. “He borrowed more to maintain his family during the last six months. He is even more agitated today because he is unable to leave the country as his visa has expired,” added Siddique.

Almost 200 workers, including many of Bhushan’s colleagues, have been already sent home after authorities in Hamriya Free Zone facilitated their travel and paid them Dh1,000 each. Workers were demanding authorities to at least auction the remaining property and machinery and pay them for what they worked for. “Even during the recent three-day holiday, we all worked overtime because there was an urgent job to be completed,” said another worker.

Many of them have been employed for over 10 years, and say their gratuities alone would have amounted to anywhere between Dh15,000 and 40,000 each. Last week, some employees said that they were so deep in debt that the thought of suicide did cross their mind at times.

Bhushan meanwhile has now been shifted to the workers' accommodation in Sharjah. “Although many companies promised to provide us jobs, so far nothing has materialized. Some of them are even trying to exploit us. We have some of the best skilled workers who were earning around Dh1,300 to Dh1,800. Some people approached us and asked us to work for Dh600 and Dh1,000, without food or accommodation,” said another employee.



Some of the remaining workers said food has become scarce.


“Last night, we were all starving when a kind hearted lady from Sharjah fetched us some food in the middle of the night,” he added.


Laila Abubaker from ORMA has been helping the workers.

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News Network
June 14,2020

Mandya, Jun 14: In a tragic incident, a woman and her two children were drowned in a pond at Beeranahalli village in Nagamangala taluk of this district on Sunday.

Police said that the deceased have been identified as Geeta (40), and her two children Savita(19) and Soumya(14).

Savaitha is a degree student while Soumya was studying in 9th standard. The trio drowned in a pond where they had gone to wash their cows. The locals rushed to the spot and tried to rescue them but could not save.

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Agencies
February 23,2020

Panaji, Feb 23: A MiG-29K aircraft crashed off Goa during a routine training sortie on Sunday morning, the Indian Navy said in a statement.

"The pilot ejected safely and has been recovered. An enquiry into the incident has been ordered," the statement said.

On November 16, a MiG-29K trainer flight had crashed after a bird hit, soon after it took off the Dabolim International airport, which functions out of the Indian Navy base INS Hansa.

Both pilots had managed to safely eject themselves to safety after both the engines of their jet failed.

According to data tabled in the recent budget session of the Goa Assembly, every ten days, at least one aircraft landing or taking off at Goa's Dabolim international airport faces dangers involving birds or stray dogs near the runway.

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News Network
June 5,2020

Jun 5: A young woman was forced to drink liquor allegedly by her husband after which he along with four friends assaulted, burnt her with cigarette butts and raped her in front of her five year-old son, police said on Friday.

All the five, who were taken into custody earlier, have been arrested. The shocking incident occurred in the state capital last night.

The incident came to light after the 25-year-old woman, approached police and complained against her husband and his four friends.

A case has been registered against the five accused for kidnapping, assaulting and gangrape.

Since the incident took place in front of the child, a case under Protection of children from sexual offices Act has also been charged against the accused.

Meanwhile, State health and family welfare minister K K Shailaja asked the state police chief to take stringentction against the culprits as "such cruelty happened in front of her child."

The Kerala State Women's Commission on its own registered a case and sought report from the Thiruvananthapuram Rural SP.

She managed to escape from there and pleaded for help from a young man, who saw in heran inebriatedstate, and took her to her house and informed police.

The man later told some television channels that she was crying, had injuries on her face and pleaded for help.

Police have recorded the statement of the woman, who was admitted to a government hospital here and later discharged.

She had also stated that the men had tortured her using cigarette butts.

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