90 Indians charged for violent protests in Dubai

Ninety Indians have been charged for indulging in violence following the weekend protests demanding better wages and working conditions at a labour camp here even as UAE authorities decided not to deport over 4,000 people, mostly South Asians, detained for taking part in the stir.

A total of 159 workers, including 90 Indians, have been charged for indulging in violence, an Indian diplomat said, adding they will be prosecuted and deported if found guilty.

The local government has decided not to deport 4,000 workers, mostly Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, who were taken into custody for protests at Jebel Ali Labour on Saturday.

"The UAE decision not to deport the workers follows lengthy negotiations among the local authorities, the construction company and the Indian diplomatic mission," B S Mubarak, Consul Labour at the Indian Consulate here, told PTI.

Most of the workers have given an undertaking that they would abide by the contract between them and the company and not indulge in any violent activities and are expected to be released shortly, Mubarak said.

The company and local authority decided not to deport anyone after they were convinced that a majority of them did not indulge in any violence and were inside their camps when the incidents occurred, he said.

Earlier yesterday, Mubarak along with other officials visited the workers lodged in a Dubai jail.

A majority of the detained Indians hail from Rajasthan and Punjab. The workers struck work and indulged in violent protests - a rare occurrence in the UAE where strikes and labour unions are outlawed.