India demands Rs 15-crore compensation over death of 16

DUBAI: India has demanded a compensation of Rs 15 crore from a Bahrain company for the death of 16 of its nationals who lost their lives after a fire engulfed their labour camp two years back.

Indian Ambassador to Bahrain Balkrishna Shetty said that the Indian Embassy was waiting for a court verdict so that justice could be provided to families of the victims who had been waiting for compensation since 2006.

"We are not asking for charity as the Indian Community Relief Fund and the Indian businessmen here and in India are supporting the families, rather we want legal rights of these families to be upheld," he said.

In fact, the fund was set up after the incident, the most tragic of its kind in Bahrain's modern history. A total of 16 Indian nationals were killed and 200 others were injured when a fire broke out in their three-storey building in a residential area in Qudabia.

"We demand BD 100,000 (almost Rs one crore) for each victim as they were forced to live in an unsafe and overcrowded place. They were not provided with a proper kitchen so they were left with no option but to cook their food inside their room.
"The demand for compensation is within the legal framework as we respect the government of Bahrain and are certain of the impartiality of its judicial system," the Ambassador said.