Media: Indian labourers stranded, allegedly abused in Kyrgyzstan

Twelve Indian labourers are stranded in Kyrgyzstan, facing abuse and exploitation, with their families now pleading for the government's help to bring them home, according to reports by The Times of India. 

The district administration of Pilibhit in India’s Uttar Pradesh state has submitted a report to the state’s Home Department, detailing the plight of the twelve labourers.

According to District Magistrate Gyanendra Singh, the report includes all necessary information about the stranded workers, enabling the authorities to initiate the required processes for their safe repatriation. 

The families of the workers, who were reportedly sent to Kyrgyzstan three months ago by local recruitment agents, have alleged serious abuse. They claim that the workers are being tortured, denied adequate food, and forced to work in various cities under harsh conditions. In distressing video messages sent by the workers, they have reportedly appealed for help, saying they are being mistreated and forced to pay as much as ₹2 lakh ($2,400) to return home.

The workers were allegedly lured abroad with false promises of employment. Each man is said to have paid ₹2.5 lakh (around $3,000) to a local recruitment agency, which sent them to Kyrgyzstan on a 59-day visa with misleading contracts. The families claim the workers have been forced into labour, physically abused, and "treated worse than animals."

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs is expected to assist in the repatriation process as the investigation into the case progresses.

By Sabina Mammadli