An Indian farm labourer working in Italy’s Latina died on Wednesday after being left by the road following an accident that severed his arm, a minister said, condemning an “act of barbarity”. Satnam Singh was injured on Monday while working on a farm in Latina, a rural area south of Rome that is home to tens of thousands of Indian migrant workers, news agency AFP reported.
“The Indian agricultural worker who suffered a serious accident in the countryside of Latina and was abandoned in very serious conditions… has died,” labour minister Marina Calderone told Parliament.
The Indian embassy in Italy said it was working with local authorities and trying to reach the family to offer consular help.
The Flai CGIL trade union said Satnam Singh’s arm was cut off while he was working on a farm. Instead of receiving help, he was left by the road near his house.
Latina is a rural area south of Rome where thousands of Indian migrant workers are living.
“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,” the Indian embassy said, in a statement, on X.
The Flai CGIL trade union news agency ANI that instead of getting help from his employer, “Satnam Singh was dumped like a bag of rubbish near his home.”
Marina Calderone said authorities were investigating and hoped those responsible would be punished.
AFP reported that Satnam Singh was working without proper legal papers. Police told the news agency that they were alerted by Singh’s wife and friends, and an air ambulance was dispatched.
The centre-left Democratic Party condemned the treatment of Singh in a region known for worker exploitation, calling it a “defeat for civilization”.
“As a Democratic Party, we are close to Satnam Singh’s wife and all his loved ones, aware that the deep pain of separation is associated with the dramatic awareness of the double violence that occurred. The violence of the conditions in which Singh was forced to work, certainly not suitable to protect him from the risk of accidents. The atrocious violence of those who preferred to try to hide their responsibilities in providing aid to this young worker, inevitably compromising his chances of survival. Singh’s death, for which we claim truth and justice, will be an additional sprout for us, not only to fight with determination against corporal cancer, but also to demand a collective effort without a pause to counter the agromafia of the Latina province,” the party said on Facebook.
