Mr Davinder Singh, an Indian national from Ludhiyana, Punajb who originally moved to Dubai to work in 2008 support his young family. Mr Singh explained that he was struggling to find work in Punjab and the only option left to him was to look for work outside India.
Mr Singh said that he returned to India once every year to be with his family whilst he was working in Dubai
In October 2011, Mr Davinder Singh moved to Qatar from Dubai to take up a post which offered him increased income.
Mr Singh admits that he did not have the valid documents to work in Qatar. He was arrested, prosecuted which resulted him in him serving a 14 months prison sentence in Qatar for not having the correct papers. The Doha Police confisacted his passport upon his arrest. His passport continues to remain with Doha Police. Despite Mr Singh’s numerous requests, the Doha Police have failed to return his passport to him or provide any form of acknowledgment for the retension of his passport.
Since his release in 2012, Mr Singh has been desparetly triying to return home to his family which he is prevented from doing since he does not have his passport. The Indian Mission in Qatar are aware of Mr Singh’s plight but they are taking far too long to demand the return of Mr Davinder Singh’s passport since Mr Davinder Singh’s passport is the property of the Government of India and Mr Singh is merely the ‘passport holder’. The The Indian authorities need to be assertive; the Qatari authorities have no right to hold on to Mr Singh’s passport. They have failed to acknowledge let alone provide an explanation for continuing to retain his passport. Mr Singh has served his sentence and he wants to be repatrited to India forthwith.
Mr Singh is not allowed to work in Qatar since he he does not have the correct documents. He has been living of the genorosity of his friends in Qatar and his family in India who are sending him money to survive. The Indian authorities have failed to provide any support to Mr Singh or take hs case up with the Kuwaiti authorities for the last three and half years.
