Sponsor forced to repatriate body

By RIYADH: MD RASOOLDEEN - ARAB NEWS - The Ministry of Interior compelled a Saudi sponsor to repatriate the dead body of his Indian worker, for which he claimed SR40,000 as compensation from the family of the deceased.

The Saudi employer in Jazan demanded the money to release the body of the man who had worked for him for the past 18 years.
Krishnankurry Nair, a 55-year-old driver, died in a traffic accident in April last year at Al-Darb in Jazan when he hit a camel. He was working as a domestic driver. Nair hailed from Kidangoor, Kottayam, in the south Indian state of Kerala. He is survived by his wife and three children.

S.D. Moorthy, consul for labor welfare at the Indian Consulate in Jeddah, said yesterday that the sponsor demanded the compensation for the loss of his car. The diplomat explained that the sponsor has to sign a set of documents to process the repatriation of the body. He said Nair’s sponsor refused to sign the papers unless he was paid.

“He was also not prepared to pay the rightful dues to Nair, who had served him for such a long time,” he added.

Moorthy said the sponsor filed a separate case against Mohammed Shihab, a well-known social worker, who got the power of attorney from the deceased's family to pursue the case.

The Indian Embassy in Riyadh consulted with the Ministry of Interior, who compelled the sponsor to finalize the formalities to repatriate the body.

The deceased had been lying in a morgue in Jazan since April last year, Moorthy said. Family members of the deceased were happy when they heard the body had been dispatched to their hometown.

“The Ministry of Interior Affairs also issued the requisite clearance for transportation of the body,” said the diplomat.

The remains of Nair are leaving for Cochin via Riyadh. Moorthy said the consulate is thankful to Saudi authorities for their help and support in this matter on humanitarian grounds.

While confirming that the sponsor had not paid any compensation for his dead worker, Moorthy said the consulate bore the entire costs of getting the body home.