A Jharkhand worker is killed in Niger terror attack, his family is now squeezed between company and contractor

Indian Express

30-07-2025

Around 15 days after the terror attack at a project site in Niger that left two Indian workers dead, the body of Ganesh Karmali, a resident of Jharkhand's Bokaro district, reached his village on Sunday evening. The family, however, has now raised concerns over an alleged disparity in compensation from his employer.
Ganesh Karmali, 35, who was a resident of Karipani village, and Krishna Gupta from Uttar Pradesh were killed in the July 9 attack at a World Bank-funded site managed by Transrail Lighting Ltd, an India-based company undertaking power transmission projects abroad. Another man from Jammu and Kashmir, who served as the company's safety manager, was abducted.
Ganesh's daughter, Sapna Kumari, said that while Krishna's body was repatriated earlier and his family reportedly received Rs 27 lakh in compensation, her family was promised only Rs 10 lakh.
Ganesh's wife, Yashoda Devi, told The Indian Express, 'If both were killed in the same attack and worked at the same site, why are we being treated differently? My husband had told me that the company owed him Rs 40 lakh.'
A company representative, Mannar Ansar, said it did not directly employ Ganesh and that he was employed by a subcontractor. Ganesh was not on the company's payroll or on a visa sponsored by it, the representative claimed.
'We helped repatriate his body purely on humanitarian grounds after a request from the Indian embassy,' Ansar said, adding, 'He was not our employee. Krishna was, and he has been compensated under company policy with all applicable benefits, including insurance and gratuity.'
Ansar said the Rs 10 lakh given to Ganesh's family came from the subcontractor working under them, not from the parent company managing the Niger project.
The subcontractor under whom Ganesh was employed, LK Swamy, claimed that Transrail officials verbally urged him not to escalate the issue. 'They told me not to file any complaints, or it would create problems. But I'm just a small-time labour contractor,' he said, adding that he is ready to cooperate if approached by government officials or family representatives with documents.
Swamy said that so far, he had paid the family around Rs 3 lakh from his own pocket, including Rs 50,000 for the daughter's wedding and Rs 17,000 for funeral related expenses. He said he had committed to providing a total compensation of Rs 12 lakh over time.
'I'm not a big contractor. I've only worked under their registration for two months. The company is now pressuring me to take full responsibility, but I didn't even issue the visa or ticket, all of that was arranged by Transrail Lighting Ltd,' he claimed.
He also said that all of Ganesh's documents, including his visa, flight tickets, and landing permit, mentioned Transrail's name and address. 'Why did they pay Rs 27 lakh in Krishna Kumar's case from UP and refuse to take responsibility in this one?' he asked.
Shikha Lakra, the officer in charge of the Jharkhand's Migrant Workers Control Room, operating under the state Labour Department, confirmed that Ganesh worked for Transrail Lighting Ltd. She acknowledged that the compensation in such cases is often minimal and insufficient. 'Under the state government's policy, Rs 5 lakh is to be provided to the family, which will be done,' she said.
Yashoda Devi, however, remains unconvinced. 'We don't understand these technicalities. We just want justice and dignity for my husband,' she said.
Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India.
Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions.
You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More