Hyderabad: A 35-year-old migrant met with an accident in Iraq on Friday night and was denied complete medical attention as he did not have a work permit. The victim, J. Venkat Swamy (35), sustained serious injuries on both legs and on his head.
J. Venkat Swamy was a tenant farmer who had incurred huge losses which caused him to slip into a debt worth Rs 10 lakhs. In order to earn money and clear his dues, he decided to move to Iraq and work there.
However, Mr Venkat Swamy was cheated by travel agents who promised to provide him with a work permit but instead, only provided him with a visit visa which expired quite soon. Consequently, he has been stuck in Iraq for the past 3 years.
The victim was working at a poultry farm in a small village in Kurdistan state in Iraq.
On Friday night, the victim had gone to Erbil to visit his friend’s place and was returning to his workplace afterwards.
While he was waiting for a taxi to go back, an unknown vehicle rammed into him and then fled.
The passersby noticed and immediately rushed him to the nearest hospital. The victim’s family comprises his wife and three children. They live in Thimmapur village, Jannaram Mandal, Adilabad(district) Telangana State.
Speaking to this newspaper, the victim’s wife J.Nagalaxmi, who is in India, said, “His plan was to save some money and pay for the work permit, which costs around Rs 2 lakhs. He has been away for 3 years, and has been insisting that he will only return once he earns enough money to clear our debts.”
She requested the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to come to their rescue. The Gulf workers’ rights activist Mr Basanth Reddy said, “I have approached the Embassy in Iraq and have received a positive response from them. The State and the Central governments should come forward to help the victim.”
