Jharkhand worker killed in Saudi police firing sent last voice note to wife: ‘Bullet meant for someone else’
Vijay Kumar Mahato, a resident of Dudhapania village under Dumri block, was employed with Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company in Saudi Arabia.
A migrant worker from Jharkhand’s Giridih district was reportedly killed in Saudi Arabia earlier this month after being caught in a crossfire between local police and an extortion gang involved in the illegal liquor trade.
In a heart-wrenching final message from a foreign land, the migrant worker sent a voice note to his wife, saying the police were firing at someone else but he had been hit by mistake, Live Hindustan reported.
The victim, Vijay Kumar Mahato, a resident of Dudhapania village under Dumri block, was employed with Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company in Saudi Arabia, according to the Hindi daily.
He had reportedly gone to collect materials at his worksite on the instructions of a senior company official when police opened fire as part of an operation against a local gang.
In a conversation with The Indian Express, the victim’s brother-in-law Ram Prasad Mahato said the incident occurred on October 15 near Vijay’s worksite when he was caught in a gunfight between police and local extortionists.
“Vijay was nearby when the firing began. The bullet hit him by mistake,” Ram Prasad said. He added that Vijay was taken to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries. The family was informed about his death on October 24.
“Before dying, he even sent a voice note in the Kortha language to his wife, saying he had been hit by a bullet meant for someone else and was pleading for help,” IE quoted the brother-in-law as saying.
Mahato is survived by his wife, two sons aged five and three, and his parents.
MLA seeks probe, repatriation of body
According to the Live Hindustan and the Indian Express, following the incident, Dumri MLA Jayaram Kumar Mahato wrote to the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia, urging a fair and transparent probe into the death and requesting that arrangements be made to bring back Mahato’s mortal remains at the earliest.
According to information shared by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh with the Jharkhand government, cited by the English daily, the incident took place in the Jeddah region, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of India (CGI), Jeddah.
The CGI has termed the death “suspicious” and said Mahato’s body remains in the custody of the Public Prosecution Office in Jumum, Makkah, until investigations conclude and a Police Clearance Certificate is issued.
However, the family members of the deceased have said they will not initiate the process to bring back the body until the company agrees to provide compensation. Ram Prasad said that the company must be held accountable, adding, “We will not receive the body until we get a written assurance of compensation,” the IE reported.
