TN men killed in Iraq: kin to sue firm

Kin of two graduates from Tamil Nadu who were killed in a bomb explosion in Iraq on May 8 said they would file a case against the overseas employer for alleged forced labour in the war field. The bodies of G Senthil and Ramesh Kumar were received by their relatives in Chennai on Wednesday.

Relatives said that the two, like many other Indians recruited by the Kuwait Gulf Link (KGL) Transport Company, were promised a well-paying job as driver and mechanic in Kuwait, but were sent to Iraq under contract with the Western Armed Forces fighting insurgents there. “We are getting phone calls from people working there saying that they did not have a choice other than agreeing to work in the war zone, as the company had confiscated their passports,” said a relative of Senthil.

According to the agitated relatives of the two, they tried contacting the company officials as soon as they learned about the tragedy. However, none from the company responded to their frantic calls, nor did anyone care to contact the anxious families. “They even asked the Indian workers in Iraq not to talk to us,” said Sivamani, Ramesh’s uncle.

There are at least 80 Indians — all recruited by the KGL — working in Iraq, said Habibulla, one of the workers who accompanied the bodies from Kuwait. “If the authorities do not act against the private company, more young Indians will be duped into accepting overseas job offers and finally lose their lives to a war they have no connection with,” added Sivamani.