Gulf workers abuse CM KCR on social media, land in trouble

ADILABAD: Some distressed Gulf workers from Telangana state who vented their ire over the adverse conditions they were going through on social media seem to be in serious trouble as the state police have taken them a tad seriously.

Upset over low payment and bad living conditions in the Gulf countries, some of the migrants posted videos and comments ‘abusing’ and criticising Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and the TRS government, inviting the wrath of cybercrime police who booked cases against the abusers.

It is said that Covid-19 pandemic aggravated the problems of the Gulf workers as companies were paying them low wages taking the advantage of the pandemic situation. The cybercrime police of Hyderabad, it is learnt, are issuing look out circulars (LOC) against the persons indulged in such ‘crime’.       

One such person is Giddu Gangadhar of Chincholi Malak of Sarangapur mandal of Nirmal district who is working in Kuwait, had posted a video on March 12, 2020, on Facebook ‘abusing’ Chandrashekar Rao and criticising the government policies and also minister Allola Indrakaran Reddy of Nirmal. He subsequently did a series of such videos and posted them on Facebook. It is said that Gangadhar’s Facebook posts reflect his political ideology and stand. There are allegations that Gangadhar’s many postings are politically motivated. The video went viral on social media. This may be the second such incident in the recent past in the state.

His family members are now worried that cybercrime police may take action against Gangadhar since some plainclothes personnel visited their home and collected details such as Aadhaar card and passport and the company where he was working in the Gulf. Gangadhar’s wife Gangavva is a disabled person and rolls beedis while one of their two sons is doing agriculture.

The two young sons of Gangadhar got the information that cybercrime police registered a case against their father and may arrest him whenever he lands in India. His family is now seeking the mercy of the Chief Minister on humanitarian grounds so that the case is taken back by the police. Gangadhar’s family is living in utter poverty in Chincholi Malak of Sarangapoor mandal of Nirmal.

In another case, Telangana police arrested a Gulf worker, Panyala Raju of Lambadipalli, a village in Malyal mandal of Jagtial district who also posted ‘abusive’ comments on social media criticising Chandrashekar Rao and the government. Emigration officials handed him over to the police at the airport on his arrival to Mumbai in August, 2020.

Swadesh Parikipandla, state president of Pravasi Mitra Labour Union, who met the family members of Gangadhar, said the Gulf workers should be careful while posting videos on social media emotionally since such videos could land them in trouble. He said the Gulf workers should realise that they may lose their jobs and can be jailed for posting abusive comments and videos on social media.

Swadesh said many Gulf workers live in pathetic conditions without family for years together and many of them face health problems in loneliness for being away from the family and some of them lose their jobs due to various reasons and in distress searching for new jobs there.

Reports say that Gangadhar may be deported from Kuwait and arrested in India upon his arrival. It is said that the state government may report the ‘incident’ to the company where Gangadhar is working now.