Mangaluru, Dec 7: All the eleven persons from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka, who were deported from Kuwait last month allegedly for performing Satyanarayana puja, now want to return to the oil rich country.
Addressing media persons in Mangaluru on Monday the deported men, who were the office bearers of Navachethana Welfare Association (NCWA), Kuwait, which had organised the mass Satyanarayana puja, urged the Union External Affairs Ministry to intervene in their matter and remove their names from blacklist.
Purushotham Kukyan, one of 11 deported persons, said that as many as 170 people had participated in Satyanarayana puja conducted on October 16 by the NCWA after informing the Indian Embassy in Kuwait.
“As performing puja rituals is not permitted in public places in Kuwait, we performed in the basement of an apartment within the four walls and behind closed doors. We had performed similar rituals in 2011,”
Mr Kukyan, who was working in Damac, claimed that so far they had not been informed of the allegation made about the puja.
Unlike in the past, when invites were sent, this year the association informed the public about the event on WhatsApp and Facebook.
“We suspect somebody complained of black magic, religious preaching, and anti-national activity at the event,” Mr. Kukyan said.
He said officials questioned nine members of the association and two others about the event.
“We were moved to deportation jail where our biometrics was taken before sending us back to India.” Mr. Kukyan said, adding that the External Affairs Minister had assured of arranging their return to Kuwait.
Santosh Kumar Rai, a resident of Mangaluru who had been employed as painting supervisor in Kuwait Oil Company before being deported, claimed that there was no case against them. “We are hoping that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s word prevails and we are able to return to work in Kuwait,” he said.
He said that following seven days of questioning by the Kuwait State Security Department at an undisclosed location and a stay at the deportation jail, they were sent back to India on November 17.
“We need to return as we left behind all our savings. Each one of us has put in more than 10 years of service there,” said Satish K. Beluvai, who worked at Damac, a catering firm in Kuwait. “If we do not return, we will lose all our savings,” he said.
Ashok Salian, who was employed as a mechanical foreman, said he left behind his new car and other valuable articles.
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