Indian farm worker dies in Italy without medical help after arm severed by machine
London/Rome, Jun 21: A 31-year-old Indian casual worker in Italy has died tragically after he was dumped on the road without medical assistance by his employer after his arm was severed by heavy farm machinery, an incident that has shocked the country.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Satnam Singh, one of thousands of Indian immigrants who work the fields in the country, was the victim of "inhuman acts".
"These are inhumane acts that do not belong to the Italian people. I hope that this barbarity will be punished harshly,” she said following a Cabinet meeting.
Singh was injured by heavy machinery while working in a vegetable field in Lazio, near Rome, on Monday.
He died in a hospital in Rome on Wednesday after being airlifted there when he was eventually found. He died because he lost so much blood that he couldn't recover from his injuries, Ansa news agency reported on Friday.
The Embassy of India in Rome posted on Wednesday on X that it was aware of the very unfortunate demise of an Indian national in Latina, Italy.
"We are in contact with local authorities. Efforts are underway to contact the family and provide consular assistance," it wrote without giving more information. Singh hailed from Punjab.
Singh lost his arm when it was trapped in a plastic fruit wrapping machine, the report said.
Singh’s employer, Antonello Lovato, loaded him and his wife into a van and left them by the side of the road near their home, it said.
"We heard his wife's screams who kept calling for help, then we saw a lad who was holding him in his arms and who carried him into the house," the report quoted Ilario Pepe, the owner of the house, as saying.
"We thought he was helping him, but then he ran away. I ran after him," said Pepe, "and I saw him get into a van and I asked him what had happened and why he hadn't taken him to hospital.
"He replied 'he's not on the books as a regular employee".
Singh's severed arm was placed in a fruit crate.
His employer Antonello Lovato has been charged with negligent manslaughter.
Meanwhile, Singh's widow Soni, who was treated for shock after the incident, received a special 'justice' stay permit to end her illegal status in Italy, Ansa reported on Friday.
Italy’s Minister of Labour, Marina Calderone, said the death of Singh had been an “act of barbarity”.
Opposition 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Giuseppe Conte on Thursday urged Meloni to act to stamp out brutal gangmastering.
"You lose your arm while you're working in the fields for four euros an hour. You're not immediately treated. They put you in a van and they dump you like rubbish outside your home," Conte wrote on X.
"Beside you, a strawberry basket in which your severed arm is left. You bleed out and die. It sounds like the story of a slave centuries ago. We can't close our eyes, we can't think about making profits while cancelling the dignity of work and the last shreds of humanity," he wrote.
If people ignore these atrocities, they will stop defending Italy and its values, he said.
"We are ready to do our bit in parliament against these barbarities, which must be rooted out of the fields all over Italy, he added.
Gangmastering and the often violent exploitation of migrant farm labourers is a chronic problem in Italy, especially in the south.
Latina hosts thousands of immigrant labourers, many of them Sikhs, working picking fruit and vegetables for the local 'agro-mafia'.
The owner of the fruit and vegetable picking firm, and Satnam's employer, Antonello Lovato, may face gangmastering and manslaughter charges, Ansa quoted Latina police as saying. Latina, a Mussolini-founded new town south of Rome that is home to thousands of immigrant farm workers, is to hold a day of civic mourning when Singh is buried.
Workplace accident insurance agency INAIL said earlier this month that fatal accidents in Italy had risen by four to 268 in the first four months of this year.
There were about 100 last year, it said.
The Embassy is aware of the very unfortunate demise of an Indian national in Latina, Italy. We are in contact with local authorities. Efforts are underway to contact the family and provide consular assistance.@MEAIndia @SecretaryCPVOIA
— India in Italy (@IndiainItaly) June 19, 2024
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2nd WT20I: Shafali, spin trio do star turns in India''s seven-wicket win
Visakhapatnam (PTI): Shafali Verma hit a blistering unbeaten 69 as India made short work of a paltry target to outclass Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Women’s T20 International here on Tuesday.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0 after another one-sided victory, having restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 128 for 9 through a collective display of disciplined bowling from the spin trio of seasoned Sneh Rana, ably complemented by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During the chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (14) fell cheaply but Shafali, enjoying new found confidence after a stellar show in the World Cup final, sent the bowlers on a leather-hunt during her 34-ball knock, winning it for her team in just 11.5 overs.
The hosts have now completed back-to-back successful chases within 15 overs which speaks volumes about the unit's sky-high confidence.
Shafali's innings had 11 punchy boundaries apart from a maximum.
The floodgates opened when left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bowled a few flighted deliveries and Shafali would step out everytime to hit her over extra cover. Her footwork against slow bowlers was immaculate whether stepping out to loft the ball or rocking back to punch or pull.
Seeing her confidence, the newly appointed Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls) also attacked as the duo added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs.
By the time Rodrigues was out trying to hit one six too many, the match as a contest was over. Shafali completed her half-century off just 27 balls and completed the formalities in a jiffy.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden which certainly is a rarity in T20 cricket.
Charani, who made an impression during India's ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her quota of overs, while Vaishnavi after an impressive debut in the opening encounter, finished with 2 for 32, not letting the Islanders get easy runs in her second spell.
The last six wickets fell for just 24 runs, but what stood out during India’s bowling effort was their superb ground fielding. After a patchy show in the previous game, the improved sharpness in the field resulted in three run-outs.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (31 off 24 balls) looked in good nick as she deposited length deliveries from seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes but it was Rana, who kept her quiet by repeatedly pitching on good length.
Unable to manoeuvre the strike and with the big hits suddenly drying up, Athapaththu chanced her arm at another delivery in which Rana had shortened the length slightly.
Not having transferred the weight into the lofted shot, Athapaththu's hoick was pouched cleanly by Amanjot Kaur at long-off.
This was after Athapaththu's opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne (1) had offered a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera (22 off 28 balls) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 off 32 balls) did stitch a stand of 44 but they could never set the tempo against the Indian spin troika.
Once Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full-toss, Sri Lankans never recovered and lost wickets in a heap towards the end.
