(Image source from: REUTERS)
Two Indian gang leaders have been arrested in Italy's Verona province on suspicion of enslaving 33 Indian farm workers. It comes weeks after Indian farmer Satnam Singh died after his hand was severed by a strawberry packing machine in the field. Singh worked illegally on a farm, but his employer dumped him on the streets. The financial police confiscated assets worth 475,000 euros from these two Indian citizens who own two companies in the agricultural sector with no employees. They also evade paying taxes, the Ansa news agency reported. A report said the two were arrested on July 13 and were being investigated on suspicion of slavery and labor exploitation. This modern form of slavery was condemned by the peasant employer, who “threw him away” along with his severed hand like a garbage bag near the house. Satnam Singh was bleeding profusely and died after medical attention was delayed. Satnam Singh was just one of thousands of Indians who worked illegally on Italian plantations, particularly in the Pontine wetlands. These workers turned out to be underpaid and exploited.
The incident sparked protests in Italy on June 25 calling for the abolition of slavery following Singh's death, AFP reported. Singh's death highlights the brutal exploitation of illegal immigrants in Italy. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are more than 200,000 foreign Indians living in Italy as of May 2024. After Germany, Italy has the largest number of Indians on the European continent. Gurmuk Singh, head of the Indian community in the Lazio region of central Italy, said: “He was thrown out like a dog. There is exploitation every day and we suffer from it every day. This has to end now.” News agency. He added: "We didn't come here to die, but to work." Latin, where Singh worked, is notorious for exploiting migrant workers. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned Singh's death, calling it inhumane and barbaric.
Meloni said: "These are inhumane acts that do not belong to the Italian people and I hope that these barbaric acts will be severely punished." Children held colorful placards reading "Justice for Satnam Singh" as a group of Indian workers stopped and passed the Latinos, AFP reported. The lack of an employment contract prevents employers from providing medical assistance to illegal immigrant workers, potentially getting them into legal trouble. "My boss said he couldn't take me to the hospital because I don't have a contract," Parambar Singh, who injured his eye at work, told AFP. The 33-year-old Indian says: “Satnam died one day, but I also die every day because I am also a victim of childbirth.” He has had problems with work since he had an accident ten months ago.
