Muscat: Members of the family of an Indian journalist, who is fighting a year-long court battle against his alleged unfair dismissal, are stranded in Oman without visas as the English newspaper where he was employed has not renewed their residence visas.

With the case of his dismissal in court, the sports journalist, whose wife and two children are now without visas, declined to make any comments on his case or his stranded family.

However, a close friend and a fellow journalist said that the residence visas of Hari Narayanan's wife and two children expired a fortnight before he entered into a legal battle with the newspaper in April last year.

"He had reminded administration department of his newspaper to renew his family's visa even before he was ‘unfairly' terminated on March 30," he added. However, the visas were not renewed and his wife, a ten-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter are stranded here since then.

"Two weeks ago Hari's wife could not even attend the last rites of her grandmother as she doesn't have a legal status here and cannot exit Oman," the friend told Gulf News.

Hari, who was dismissed in March last year, filed a law suit against the newspaper, challenging his "unfair dismissal" and sought reinstatement. "It has been a year and the case is still in primary court," the friend said.

The sports journalist has been living in Oman without any income for a year and depends on aid from friends and fellow journalists for his (and family's) daily sustenance. His colleague said that Hari has also filed an appeal with the Oman Journalists Association (OJA) and has been promised all help in resolving his case as well as financial situation.

Hari and two of his colleagues from the same newspaper have also approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). A woman journalist is one of the two colleagues, who have asked NHRC to intervene against what they allege was psychological harassment by an Indian superior at the editorial section of the English daily.

"The work place harassment has forced over 70 journalists to leave this paper in the last seven years," alleged a journalist, who has since joined another publication in Muscat. "We have received complaints regarding journalist's (Hari) case and his family's visa issues," Mohammad Bin Abdullah Al Riyami, the NHRC Chairman, told Gulf News.

He stressed that the NHRC, largely an advisory body set up by the Omani government to investigate human rights violations, will ensure that Hari's family would continue to stay here without any problems until at least the verdict of his case.

The highest office in India - the Office of Rastrapati Bhawan (Office of the President of India) has also taken note of Hari's case and has directed the Indian Embassy in Muscat to look into his plight and to provide him with consular and legal help.

The previous ambassador to Oman, Anil Wadhwa, tried his best to resolve the matter and reportedly had a meeting with the owners of the newspaper on the issue. However, an Indian journalist pointed out, since the departure of Wadhwa for another assignment in Bangkok, the Indian mission has been a bit indifferent.

"The current ambassador has refused to meet Hari and his RTI (Right To Information) application has also been rejected citing various clauses," the journalist added.