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Kazakhstan To Expel Dozens Of Indian Workers After Mass Brawl In Astana


The Abu Dhabi Plaza construction site in Astana
The Abu Dhabi Plaza construction site in Astana

Kazakh authorities say 61 Indian construction workers will be expelled from the country for "disciplinary" violations following a mass brawl this month in the capital of the Central Asian republic.

The Astana mayor's office made the announcement on September 8, six days after the brawl between Indian workers and Kazakh colleagues at the construction site of the Abu Dhabi Plaza high-rise tower project.

Authorities say the fight, which involved dozens of men and triggered the mobilization of riot police, erupted after workers from India attacked a Kazakh security guard who refused to let one of them, who appeared to be drunk, out of the construction site.

It was a rare example of mass public disorder in the capital of oil-rich Kazakhstan, where authoritarian President Nursultan Nazarbaev has ruled for more than 25 years.

Authorities said there were no major injuries.

The Astana mayor's office said in a statement that the decision on the expulsions followed talks with the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Kazakhstan and leaders of the Arabtec Holding Company, which employs the Indian workers.

The first group of 23 workers will leave Kazakhstan by September 9, the statement said. All of those being expelled are citizens of India, it said.

Construction of the Abu Dhabi Plaza, which is to be Central Asia's tallest tower, began in 2010 and is slated for completion by the end of 2017. The construction site has already been hit by several fires.

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