Eight years with the burden of a crime he didn't commit: Shankaranarayana Sharma finally returns home

Sharjah • Palakkad native A.S. Shankar Ranarayana Sharma (61), who was in trouble for eight years for a crime he did not commit, is finally getting relief from a private bank. Sharma was arrested by the company owner in a case related to the death of a Bangladeshi worker in the company where he worked as a supervisor, who died of shock at his residence. The private bank has now extended a helping hand to comply with a 2010 court order to pay the deceased's family Dh200,000 in compensation. For Sharma, who has been unable to go home for eight years, this is not just financial assistance, it is his life.

Sharma appeared on his behalf in a case against the company owner in the Sharjah court over the death of a worker and submitted his passport to the court. This was because the company owner had to travel to many countries from time to time. By the time the court order was issued against Sharma, the owner had died. His son took over the company.

With that, the company let Sharma go. Although Sharma retired from his job last year, it did not even pay him his full employment benefits. Sharma, who was a low-income earner, said that the obligation to pay a huge amount for an incident for which he was not responsible in any way, was unthinkable.

With the passport in court, he could not even go home. He stayed with friends. Only his mother, wife and daughter were in the country. When his sisters and their husbands died, he could not even see them for the last time.

Sharma's release was paved when a Dubai-based private bank, which was aware of his plight, came forward to provide two lakh dirhams from its Zakat (charity) fund. This was facilitated by the intervention of Salam Pappinissery, CEO of Yab Legal Services and a social activist. The matter, including the matter in the Sharjah Sharia Court, has been completed. An application has been submitted to the Dubai Al Aweer Immigration Department for permission to go home as soon as possible. The application also requested that the six-year fine be waived. Salam Pappinissery said that as soon as Anu gets his request approved, he will be able to return home as soon as possible.