48 Jharkhand workers stranded in Tunisia

Mail News Service

Giridih, Oct 31: Forty-eight migrant workers from Jharkhand’s Giridih, Hazaribagh, and Bokaro districts have been stranded in Tunisia, North Africa, for the past three months.

The workers allege that their employer has not paid them wages during this period, leaving them in dire financial distress and struggling for basic necessities like food and water.

In a video message circulated on social media, the stranded workers pleaded with the Indian government and the Jharkhand state administration to rescue them and facilitate their safe return home.

“We haven’t received our salaries for three months, and we are running out of food. The situation is worsening day by day,” one of the workers said in the video.

Social worker Sikandar Ali, who has long been associated with migrant welfare initiatives, has urged both the Central and State governments to intervene immediately and ensure the safe repatriation of the trapped workers.

According to reports, the group includes 14 workers from Giridih, 19 from Hazaribagh, and 15 from Bokaro districts.

They hail from various villages, including Bagodar, Sariya, Dumri, and Pirtand (Giridih); Bishnugarh (Hazaribagh); and Chandrapura, Petarwar, and Gomia (Bokaro).

Some of the identified stranded workers are:

From Giridih: Nandlal Mahto, Santosh Mahto, Gurucharan Mahto, Manoj Kumar Mandal, Khub Lal Mandal, Ashok Kumar, Seva Mahto, Jhundu Mahto, Murlidhar Mandal, Sukhdev Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Sanjay Kumar Mahto, Sunil Tudu, and Mirulal Hansda.

From Hazaribagh: Amardeep Chaudhary, Jivadhan Mahto, Dhaneshwar Mahto, Jageshwar Kumar Mahto, Govind Kumar Mahto, Khiro Dhan Mahto, Nagendra Kumar Mahto, Kailash Mahto, Nilkanth Mahto, Anantlal Mahto, Khushlal Mahto, Jagatpal Mahto, Mukesh Kumar, Mantu Mahto, Gangadhar Mahto, Dinesh Turi, Devendra Thakur, and Shankar Ghasi.

From Bokaro: Ajay Kumar, Anil Kumar, Gopal Mahto, Rajesh Karmali, Lalu Karmali, Jagannath Mahto, Ruplal Mahto, Deepak Singh, Karu Singh, Jagannath Mahto, Birsa Turi, Subodh Marandi, Manoj Kumar Ravidas, Khedan Singh, and Sukhdev Mahto.

The families of these workers back home are anxious and have appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs and Chief Minister Champai Soren to take immediate steps to bring their loved ones back safely to India.