Chennai, June 21 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Thursday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the Indian Embassy in Iran to take steps to repatriate 21 Indian fishermen stranded there.

In a letter to Modi, which was released to the media here, Palaniswami said the 21 were left stranded in Iran by their employers by withholding their passports.

"I request you to direct the Embassy of India in Iran to take all measures to ensure the immediate repatriation of these poor innocent Indian fishermen. Necessary steps may also be taken to ensure that the fishermen receive their just and due wages," he said.

Palaniswami said the fishermen from Tamil Nadu were employed by Mohammad Shallah and his brothers for more than six months.

"In the recent past, the Iranian employers did not pay the fishermen their share, as per terms of employment. Hence these fishermen were struggling to make their ends meet and were unable to send money to their families," Palaniswami said.

Having lost the hope of receiving a fair remuneration, the fishermen requested the employers to facilitate their return to India which was summarily refused by them, Palaniswami said.

"It is reported that the passports of the fishermen are in the custody of the local employers who is neither allowing them to continue work nor allowing them to return back to India. In addition, the employer chased the fishermen out of their accommodation and abandoned them in the streets without any shelter, food and security," Palaniswami said.

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Hyderabad: A 22-year-old woman committed suicide in Hyderabad about a month after a relative allegedly injected her with HIV-infected blood after she rejected a marriage proposal, police said.

The woman is identified as Ramani. She was found dead at her grandmother's home in Annojiguda on Friday morning, according to The News Minute.

According to police, the accused, a 24-year-old man related to the victim, had been in a relationship with her. Initially their families had agreed to their marriage but the proposal was later withdrawn after medical tests confirmed that the man was HIV positive.

According to investigators, the accused allegedly injected his own blood into the woman at her home on March 11, after his marriage proposal was refused. Police said he obtained a syringe and committed the act when she was alone, allegedly with the intent of forcing her into marriage.

The incident was discovered when the woman told her relatives and was sent to a medical checkup. The accused was detained in March and put in judicial prison on allegations including attempted murder.

Police said a suicide note was recovered from the scene in which the woman mentioned being distressed by the manner in which the incident was discussed on social media. Family members stated that she had been undergoing emotional distress and had developed health complications following the assault.