'Take our organs, save our husbands'

It’s the agonising story of six women who are left with no option but sell their organs to get the release of their husbands, poor migrant labourers who languish in a Dubai jail, after implicated in a murder case. Law of our land does not allow them to sell their kidneys and they are knocking at the doors of corridors of power to get permission to sell their vital organs.

This is not a scene scripted for a Bollywood potboiler, but a true story that shook the civil society earlier this month. It was seven years ago, six migrant labourers from Karimnagar district were implicated in a Nepali guard’s murder case in Dubai and were put behind the bars.

The six hapless labourers - Shivarathri Mallesh, Shivarathri Ravi, Nampelli Venkati, Dandugula Laxman, Shivarathri Hanumanthu and Syed Kareem (all from Karimnagar district) — went to Dubai with a dream to make some money and look after their families. The days were good when they started their stint in UAE as construction workers, but what fate had in store for them was disastrous.

On a fateful day, a Nepali guard was murdered, and the police, having no clues left, accused the six workers along with four other migrant workers from Pakistan of committing the ghastly crime. Not much probe was done, and all of them were convicted by a local court.

Some of them were sentenced to 24 years of imprisonment while some were given 10 years in jail. Unfortunately, no Telugu speaking advocate was provided by the Indian embassy to defend them in the court of law and they miserably failed in explaining their version, thus leading to their imprisonment.

Back home in Karimnagar district, their wives were a shattered lot. With no land, no money and no one left to support them, they have been wailing in anguish all these years. Several memorandums and representations were made to the authorities, political leaders and human rights organisations, but they all fell in deaf ears.

It has been a tale of utter misery and agony. Though it was not a big deal for the government to intervene and get justice to these suffering families, nothing was done. The family members and the convicts have been undergoing all sorts of pain and mental torture due to poverty and separation.

According to Shariat law, convicts can be released from prison, if the victim’s widow pardons them. Since no help was visible from any side, the women, with the help of some philanthropic organisations, managed to convince the victim’s widow after a prolonged effort, and she has finally agreed to pardon, provided an amount of Rs 15 lac was paid as compensation.

The women approached all and sundry to gather the amount that is very very huge for them, but in vain. All pleas and requests were gone with the wind.

Finally, they came to know that they could get the money by selling their organs, the six women - S Rajavva, S Rena, N Ellavva, S Padma, D Padma and Reshma - approached the AP State Human Rights Commission (APSHRC) with a request to allow them to sell their kidneys to get their jailed husbands’ release from Dubai.

HRC member K Peda Peri Reddy directed Protector of Emigrants and NRI wing of the General Administration Department of the state government to submit a detailed report on the issue by January 17, 2013.

The hapless women said in their petition that their husbands went to Dubai in search of work eight years ago. However, all of them were arrested in connection with a murder case and sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 10 to 24 years.

The petitioners also said that they have made repeated requests to Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Indian Embassy in Dubai to save their husbands and send them back but to no avail. Finally, the murder victim’s family accepted to pardon them on payment of a compensation of Rs 15 lac.

“We had appealed to the Central Government to get our husbands released by paying the compensation since we are poor. However, there has been no response. We are now left with no other option but to sell our organs and pay the proceeds for the release of our husbands,” the women said.

The petitioners urged the HRC to see that they were given permission to sell their kidneys. Peda Peri Reddy sought a report from the Protector of Emigrants and NRI wing of the General Administration Department of the state government to submit a detailed report on the issues by January 17, 2013.

“As family members of migrant labour, we would like to appeal, pray and demand to know if the migrant workers are not protected with Right to Equality, Right to Freedom and Right against Exploitation. And in case of extreme necessity in difficult circumstances, if no help is forthcoming, we have only our bodies to sell and pay the penalty to get our family members back,” said the women.

“Help us or allow us to sell our organs and get our men back home in Karimnagar, so that we can live together even in poverty and share our poverty within the family,” they pleaded.