Seechewal raises issue of women stuck in Gulf nations

Sultanpur Lodhi, Oct17

Environmentalist and Rajya Sabha member Padma Shree Balbir Singh Seechewal met Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav and raised the issue of women, who were being harassed there, stranded in Arab countries.

During the approximately 25-minute meeting held at the Punjab Police headquarters in Chandigarh, Seechewal said he had brought back about 52 women stranded in Muscat (Oman), Iraq and Saudi Arabia through the Indian Embassy with the help of the Ministry of External Affairs. He said travel agents were targeting poor daughters and sisters of Punjab and selling them to Arab countries by luring them with huge salaries.

Seechewal told the Punjab DGP that many of these poor women were illiterate, hence they were made to sign affidavits written in Arabic language, about which they have no knowledge. He said this was a very serious issue which needed to be resolved on a priority basis. He said it was very difficult to patiently hear the ordeal of the women who have returned from these countries about how they were harassed there.

Seechewal handed over the list of some agents to the DGP, Punjab, and said these were those agents who were constantly taking advantage of girls’ helplessness and showing big dreams to girls and trapping them in the trap. He said these were the names of those agents who, despite being Indians themselves, were continuously calling girls from the country, including Punjab, through a racket where they were being harassed in various ways and attempts were being made to do wrong to them.

Seechewal said Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav assured that he would soon appoint a nodal officer in this regard who would take action only against rogue travel agents. He also assured them that he would hand over this responsibility to DIG, Jalandhar Range, Swapan Sharma and senior officers of the Jalandhar Rural Police.