The plight of migrant workers in Qatar

Qatar hosts an estimated 7,45,000 Indian workers, the largest Indian diaspora group. Strict rules with no job safety push these poor workers to live in dismal conditions. Some 1,678 Indian workers died in Qatar between 2012 and August 2018, almost 300 of them “unnatural” deaths, according to Indian government figures.

Haidar Ali, 35 Indian worker was shot in the face by his Qatari employer and is currently unable to return to his family that hadn't seen him for two years.

Haider had been blinded in one eye after he was shot in the face by his enraged employer, a Qatari national in Doha. The employer had reportedly been angered by Haider's request for leave to visit his family in the east Indian state of Bihar in October.

At present, he is living under the care of the embassy that has taken up the matter with concerned authorities in Qatar to ensure that justice is delivered to the Indian national. The embassy stated that a prosecutors was being prepared by Indian officials.

There are now questions as to how Haidar will remain the breadwinner for his family, given the extent of his injuries. His wife, three brothers, ailing father and six children all say the brutal attack has not just rendered him handicapped, but also left their lives in limbo as they seek monetary compensation from the Qatari government.

Haidar is one of hundreds of thousands blue collar workers who migrate from poorer Indian states to Qatar each year.