Telangana NRI jailed, deported for social media post to seek help

In the latest case, a Telangana NRI, who had sought help from officials to return home after completing his contract term, faced jail sentence and was finally released and repatriated home recently.

Jeddah: Non Resident Indians working in gulf countries often land in trouble while seeking assistance through social media. There are many NRIs who find themselves in trouble for their postings on social media, because they unknowingly cross the etiquette line.

In the latest case, a Telangana NRI, who had sought help from officials to return home after completing his contract term, faced jail sentence and was finally released and repatriated home recently.

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Surender Nagavat Naik, a tribal youth hailing from Raikal mandal in Jagtial district was working as a driver for a Saudi family in the Industrial town of Jubail in Saudi Arabia two years ago. He was desperate to return home after two-year contract was over and his employer delayed arranging Surender travel back home. Furious over the delay, Surender made a selfie video where he narrated his ordeal and appealed for help to return home.

The video post reached the employer, who felt offended and complained to police who in turn arrested Surender. Later he was sentenced to four months jail term for maligning the employer’s reputation. He was found guilty of   using social media for wrong reasons and also viewing porn content on his phone. The court also ordered to confiscate his mobile device and deport him after completing the sentence.

Shocked by unexpected developments, Surender approached Rajesh and Yaseen, Indian community workers in the city, who appealed to higher authorities for showing mercy. Their efforts backed by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh yielded positive response and sentence was reduced and Surender repatriated recently.

Meanwhile, the family of Surender back home was offered Rs two lakh as special finance assistance from Telangana Chief Minister’s office through local MLA Dr. K. Sanjay Kumar.

Several other NRI workers are languishing in prisons in different parts of the Kingdom for posting or sharing social media messages without knowing the consequences or legal implications. In some cases, they are not even remembering which post they shared.

It is noteworthy to mention that some of Telangana NRIs especially labourers using social media to air their grievances and it was found by officials that most of them have been  exaggerating facts to get some attention back home in India.<

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