Yet another case of physical assault and torture of an Indian immigrant has emerged from Saudi Arabia, with a Hyderabad woman claiming that her employer tried to kill her.
The 46-year-old, Haseena Begum, who was working as a maid in Dammam, claimed that she fractured both her legs after she was pushed off the third floor of a building by her employer.
According to Haseena's family, she had gone to Dammam in October last year, and worked for two months, during which time she claimed to be constantly harassed.
She then reportedly ran away from her employer's house, and approached the local authorities. The employer was summoned, and promised to let her go after completing some paperwork.
However, after taking her back to his house, the employer allegedly pushed her from the third floor, which led to Haseena fracturing both her legs. She was admitted to the Dammam Central Hospital.
A video appeal by Haseena has also been posted on social media.
Md Wajid, the son of victim Haseena Begum, told the Deccan Chronicle, “My mother went to Saudi Arabia to make our lives better. She was promised 1,600 riyals a month, but the employer did not pay her even one riyal. When she asked for salary, the employer started harassing her.”
In a letter to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, MBT leader Amjed Ullah Khan, who has taken up the case, wrote, "Kindly take necessary action to rescue her immediately and a strong protest should be registered through Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and Indian Embassy to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Government in this case of attempt to murder her."
The issue was brought to Sushma Swaraj's notice on Twitter, following which she marked the Indian Embassy in Riyadh.
The Protector General of Emigrants has also replied, stating that Haseena may have travelled to Dammam without taking Emigration Clearance.
Wajid and Amjed Ullah Khan have blamed the agent for Haseena's present situation, and demanded that action be taken against him.
This comes just months after another case in January this year, when a woman returned to Hyderabad after months of torture by her employers, first in Medina, and then in Jeddah.
(The News Minute article was updated by adding a video and a tweet by Minister of External Affairs.)
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