Forty-eight migrant laborers from Jharkhand's Giridih, Bokaro, and Hazaribagh districts have been trapped in Tunisia for three months, enduring starvation, withheld wages, and threats of imprisonment, as revealed in a desperate video appeal to the Indian government for urgent repatriation and justice.

In the viral footage, circulated via social media and local activists, the workers—many hailing from rural blocks like Vishnugarh, Bagodar, Sariya, Pirtand, Chandrapura, Gomia, and Petarwar—describe a nightmare that began with false promises from recruiters. "We were told we'd be permanent company staff with eight-hour shifts and fair pay," recounted Amardeep Choudhary, one of the group. Instead, upon arrival, they faced grueling 12-plus hour days on construction sites, contractual drudgery, and no compensation for six months. "We're starving—no food, no money. They threaten jail if we complain," Choudhary added, his voice cracking amid pleas for intervention.

The workers, including Nandlal Mahato, Ajay Kumar, Gurucharan Mahato, Lalu Karmali, and Sunil Tudu, accuse Prem Power Constructions, an Indian firm allegedly behind their deployment, of systemic exploitation. Despite repeated demands, the company has blocked their departure, citing unresolved "debts" while refusing to release passports or facilitate return flights. This ordeal has left families back home in distress, with many borrowing to sustain loved ones abroad before communications dwindled.

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Social activist Sikandar Ali, a vocal advocate for migrant rights, amplified the video on Thursday, October 30, 2025, urging the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Jharkhand Labour Department, and Chief Minister Hemant Soren to act swiftly. "This isn't isolated—fraudulent overseas placements prey on our impoverished youth," Ali told reporters. He highlighted the need for probes into recruiting agencies and stricter enforcement of the Emigration Act, 1983, to prevent such scams. Ali also called for localized job schemes under initiatives like the Jharkhand State Migrant Control Room, which has repatriated over 1,500 workers in recent years from hotspots like Cameroon and Dubai.

This crisis echoes a pattern of vulnerability among Jharkhand's estimated 20 lakh annual migrants, driven by unemployment and lured by overseas mirages. Just months ago, in April 2025, five workers from Bagodar's Dondlo and Mundro panchayats vanished after abduction in Niger, South Africa, their fates unknown despite frantic searches. Similar pleas arose from 15 laborers stranded in Dubai in June 2025, facing eviction and meager rations, and 27 in Cameroon in July 2024, who returned only after state intervention and wage recoveries totaling ₹30 lakh.

The MEA has acknowledged the Tunisia video, with officials coordinating with the Indian Embassy in Tunis for verification and consular aid. Jharkhand's migrant helpline (181) reports a surge in distress calls, prompting renewed calls for bilateral labor pacts with North African nations. As Chhath Puja approaches—a festival of gratitude and homecoming—these men yearn for more than rituals: safe passage back to Jharkhand's soil, unpaid dues settled, and safeguards against the next deceptive voyage.

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