Punjabis among 24 Indians detained in Kuwait for murder

New Delhi: Twenty-four Indian workers, most of them from Punjab, were taken into custody by the Kuwait police for allegedly killing two Egyptians during a brawl on Thursday. The Union Government has taken up the matter with the Kuwait Foreign Ministry, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said. Consular officials visited the camp where the workers are lodged to ally their concerns. He said Indians at the camp have been segregated from workers belonging to other nationalities considering the safety aspect.

The Indian Mission is also in touch with the company that has assured officials of workers’ safety, Akbaruddin said. No Indian was in critical state, he said. Akbaruddin said all Indians should abide by the local law. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is keeping herself abreast of the situation and giving directions, the spokesman said. Shiromani Akali Dal MP Naresh Gujral said Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal spoke to Sushma Swaraj seeking her assistance for the safe release of the detained workers. The brawl took place over a seat in a bus when the Indian workers were returning to their residential camp on Thursday. One of the detained youths in the camp told The Tribune over phone that no one was killed in the incident. Indian workers in Kuwait uploaded a video on the internet urging the Government of India to secure the safe release of their colleagues.

Pawan Kumar from Jandu Singha village in Jalandhar told The Tribune over phone that the brawl took place on Thursday afternoon when the Egyptians refused to offer a vacant seat to a Punjabi youth, identified as Sunny, in the bus. “The Egyptians started thrashing Sunny with the rods. They also attacked Sodhi from Kapurthala who came to Sunny’s rescue. The moment bus reached the residential campus, both sides attacked each other with whatever came in their hand,” said Pawan. Most of Indians involved in the brawl are from Moga, Kapurthala and Ludhiana districts. Hundreds of youths detained in the camp are being ill-treated by the police.

Source: The Tribune