New Delhi:
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni today paid homage to the Indian farm worker who died after being dumped on the road by his employer after his arm was severed in a machine. The incident, which occurred last week, has shocked Italy with protesters demanding strict action against the employer.
Today, Ms Meloni brought up the issue in the Italian parliament and offered condolences to Satnam Singh, the worker who died.
Satnam Singh, 31, who had been working without legal papers, died last week after his arm was sliced off by a machine. The farmer he was working for dumped him by the road, along with his severed limb.
Following a distress call from Singh’s wife and friends, local police responded promptly and dispatched an air ambulance.
The death has triggered massive protests across the nation with people demanding swift justice and also better labour laws.
“He was thrown out like a dog. There is exploitation every day, we suffer it every day, it must end now,” said Gurmukh Singh, head of the Indian community in the Lazio region of central Italy.
Ms Meloni, calling Satnam Singh a victim of “inhuman acts”, has vowed strict punishment against those found guilty.
“These are inhumane acts that do not belong to the Italian people. I hope that this barbarity will be punished harshly,” she said.
While Singh’s death is being investigated, it has sparked a wider debate in Italy over how to tackle systemic abuses in the agriculture sector, where use of undocumented workers and their abuse by farmers or gangmasters is rife.
“Satnam died in one day, I die every day. Because I too am a labour victim,” said Parambar Singh, whose eye was seriously hurt in a work accident.
“My boss said he couldn’t take me to hospital because I didn’t have a contract,” said the 33-year-old, who has struggled to work since.
“I have been waiting 10 months for justice,” he said.
