Question of Auqaat
Urdu is a subcontinental language of refinement, politeness, and sophisticated undertones.
For the family of an Indian migrant worker who died in Saudi Arabia in 2013, his death certificate has seemingly caused more complications than the death itself. His family members today alleged that the death certificate, written in Arabic and issued by the Saudi authorities, was declined for official use in Bengal with the government offices pleading ignorance of Arabic language.
Jehad Sheikh, the migrant worker hailing from Durgapur village of Mahalandi-II Gram Panchayat under Kandi police station limits in Murshidabad district, had died on 15 February, 2013 at Jeddah of Saudi Arabia. Sheikh, carrying the passport no. J 3813350 issued on 30 September 2010 at Kolkata, was also buried at a local burial ground in Saudi Arabia a few days after his death, said his wife, Sahida Bibi.
Ever since the death of Jehad Sheikh in 2013, his family members have been running from pillar to post in order to claim compensation and for other reasons but none of the government offices allegedly accepted the death certificate because the content of the certificate was in Arabic.
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“I could not get compensation which is given by Saudi government for any migrant worker’s death there. I could not proceed with the claim because my husband’s death certificate was nowhere recognised here. I went to our Gram Panchayat office (Mahula-II of Kandi) which further took up the matter with the local BDO but the problem remained the same,” Sahida alleged.
The local GP member, Afroza Khatun, admitted that Sahida Bibi was facing considerable problems due to the language issue related to the death certificate. “We also want that the matter should be resolved by the administration. The dead migrant worker’s family has been suffering for last 8 years”, the GP member told The Statesman.
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