Tirunelveli (TN): A 42-year old contract
worker from Tamil Nadu employed with a Korean group has been
killed and another seriously injured in gunfire during the
anti-government violence in Libya, the victim`s family said.
The fate of 22 other colleagues, who also hailed from the
remote Thalaivankottai village in the district, was not known,
according to Vellathai, who gave a petition to the District
Collector seeking steps to retrieve the body of her husband.
Vellathai, in her representation to M Jeyaraman, said her
husband`s colleague Ashok Kumar informed the family on Feb 20
about the death of Murugaiah, employed with Hyundai group.
She said Kumar also told her he was seriously injured in
the gunfire that caused a fire in the camp where the workers
had been put up.
Vellathai sought the intervention of the Indian Government
to bring back the body of her husband and also the ascertain
the condition of the others, whose names were listed in the
petition.
"We are desperately looking for the government`s help to
retrieve and bring back the body of my husband and to know the
status of the other labourers," she said.
According to the petitioner, the 24 semi-skilled workers
from the village were employed on a two-year contract by the
Korean company for erecting electricity towers on a monthly
salary of Rs 30,000.
The workers are allowed four days leave annually to visit
their home and they were to have come this month end, a
sobbing Vellathai told reporters later.
Thalaivankottai panchayat President K Poosaipandian
accompanied the family members of Murugaiah.
PTI
