Muscat: Fearing for his life, fish vendor Jefferson, who was beaten up by his employers for seeking rest, has arrived in Muscat after running away from Duqm.
"I came here seeking shelter and intervention from the Indian Embassy as I feared that my Omani employees could harm me further," Jefferson told Gulf News while resting at a shelter.
He added that a group of locals, including his sponsor's cousin, had gone looking for him at the seashore. "We (about 100 workers) live in tarpaulin tents by the beach, which is very close to our work place," he said.
Jefferson had refused to unload a newly arrived stock of fish at the seashore, which is 12km away from main Duqm town, as he had worked continuously since morning.
His refusal to unload new stock enraged his sponsor's cousin, who supervises work at the fishing loading and unloading centre, and he hit him.
The beating increased after Jefferson questioned the cousin. "I was advised by my colleagues to file a police complaint," he said, adding that while a Pakistani driver was taking him to the Duqm police station, their vehicle was intercepted and they were beaten up by more than three people with camel sticks.
"After that a north Indian tanker driver took me to the hospital," he said, adding that hospital staff reported the case to the police.
The police summoned those who beat him up but they didn't turn up at the police station. "The next day they went in a group looking for me at the beach but thank God I was not there. I feared the worst, I feared for my life."
He received help from a barber - known only by his first name Suresh - to escape from Duqm and reach Muscat. "Jefferson understands only little Arabic and speaks only Malayalam, so I decided to help him come to Muscat and contacted social workers here," Suresh, who accompanied Jefferson to Muscat, told Gulf News.
Suresh contacted P. M. Jabir, the Indian Social Club's Welfare Secretary. "I asked the embassy to help Jefferson and talk to his employers," Jabir told Gulf News. The Indian embassy paid Jefferson 20 Omani riyals and requested Jabir to organise shelter for the Indian from Kerala. Jabir and other social workers collected 80 Omani riyals and gave it to Jefferson.
"The Indian embassy requested sponsor to come to Muscat and resolve the issue," Jabir said, adding that when the sponsor's brother came to Muscat he was asked to meet embassy's lawyer.
"The lawyer talked to the sponsor's brother, who agreed to give only 400 Omani riyals as compensation," Jabir said but added that it was not acceptable to Jefferson.
The fisherman wants to leave as he thinks he would not be safe in Duqm but has to wait for his compensation and his passport, which is with the sponsors.
