Human Rights Society condemns confinement of workers

Dubai, Jun 4 (UNI) Human rights activists in Bahrain have condemned the 'forceful and traumatic' three-day confinement of five Indian workers by their employer.

The workers, Balakrishnan Soman, Jemuni K, R Baradrash, S Adumugan, and B Murthy from Tamil Nadu, who were released by police on Friday, were locked up by their employer when they demanded overtime payment and to be allowed to go home.

They later complained of threat to their life after police released them.

The sponsor of the workers, who had paid Rs 49,000 to Rs 55,000 for their visas, restrained them from leaving the company, news reports said.

Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS) said atrocities against expatriate workers had been increasing and the government should take urgent action against such criminals.

This was the third or fourth incident in the past three months when poor workers were locked up by their sponsors, a spokesman said.

There had been several cases of workers being treated like slaves by some rogue employers, who harm the image of Bahrain where there are about 2,60,000 expatriate workers, he said.

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