Dubai: Man walks 1000 km for justice; Swaraj seeks report from Indian embassy

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday sought a report from the Indian consulate in Dubai about an Indian man who walked more than 1,000 kilometres over two years as he had no money to attend court proceedings for obtaining a flight ticket to return home. 

"I have asked for a report from Indian Embassy in Dubai," Swaraj tweeted. Jagannathan Selvaraj, who hails from Tiruchirappalli, braved traffic, heat, sandstorms and exhaustion as he made his way through the busy highways of Dubai, travelling a distance of 22 kilometre one way from his Sonapur accommodation to attend the labour court proceedings. 

A bus trip from Sonapur to Karama costs a few dirhams, but Selvaraj did not have money to travel by bus and was forced to spend two hours for a one-way trip and another two hours for the return journey after every court hearing. He has been living in a public park in Sonapur for several months.