52 Indian workers repatriated from Singapore for alleged involvement in Little India riots

Fifty three foreign workers, 52 of them Indians, have been repatriated and will not be allowed to enter Singapore again for their alleged involvement in the December 8 riots in the city-state.

One person among the 53 workers who have been deported is a Bangladeshi citizen.

Of the seven other migrant workers who were previously charged in court but had their charges withdrawn subsequently, four were issued stern police warnings and would be sent back to India Friday night, the Straits Times reported citing police.

These four men met members of the Committee of Inquiry appointed by Singapore Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean to look into the cause of the incident and make recommendations.

They also had full access to consular assistance.

The other three men will be allowed to remain in Singapore but would be issued police advisories.

The riots broke out after an Indian worker, Sakthivel Kumaravelu, died December 8 after being run over by a bus in the Little India neighbourhood here.

Mobs attacked police officers who responded to the accident call in what was the biggest riot in Singapore in some 40 years.