India Italian farmer arrested after death of harvest worker

Following the death of an Indian harvest worker in Italy, his employer has been arrested. The farmer is accused of brutally bleeding the 31-year-old worker to death after an accident in a field in the south of Rome.

Last month, the Indian man was caught in a machine that severed his right arm and crushed his legs. However, the farmer is said to have only driven him to his home and left him lying there with his severed arm in a fruit crate next to him. The Indian man later succumbed to his injuries in hospital.

According to official statements, the investigators now want to bring the 38-year-old Italian to court for intentional homicide. The autopsy of the body revealed that the Indian died from massive blood loss. He could probably have been saved if he had been treated immediately. The arrest warrant speaks of "inhumane behavior that runs counter to the most fundamental values of solidarity".

The case caused great outrage - also because working conditions in Italy's agricultural sector have long been the subject of criticism. According to estimates, around 230,000 people are employed illegally in the EU country - including many migrants from countries such as India and Pakistan, who work for the lowest wages.

In addition, the owner of the company, the father of the accused, blamed the victim for the accident. He literally said on Italian television: "The recklessness of this worker will cost us all dearly."

It has since come to light that an investigation into the illegal recruitment of cheap foreign workers was launched against the accused's father back in 2019. The workers there are said to have received a monthly wage of less than 200 euros. The authorities also found that the sanitary facilities were in a deplorable state.

The treatment of cheap foreign workers has now also attracted political attention. Right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni accused the employer of a "despicable attitude". President Sergio Mattarella criticized the "exploitation of the weakest and most defenceless".

However, it is uncertain whether the case will have concrete consequences in the form of stricter regulations. In Italy, governments of various political compositions have previously announced improvements without much happening.