A Qatar human rights body has dismissed the recent report from the Indian embassy that more than 450 Indian migrant workers have died in Qatar in almost two years, and said that the figure is 'normal' given the size of the community.
In response to a Right To Information (RTI) request filed, the Indian embassy in Qatar gave figures detailing the number of deaths in 2012 and the first 11 months of 2013.
According to Gulf news, the figures revealed that an average of 20 migrants died per month, peaking at 27 in August last year, adding that there were 237 fatalities in 2012 and another 218 in 2013 up to December 5.
However, the National Human Rights Committee, which is close to the Qatar government, said that as Indians are estimated at around a large 500,000, the numbers of deaths among the Indian community are 'normal'.
The report mentioned that Qatar's human rights record is under scrutiny like never before as it cranks up building work ahead of the 2022 World Cup, most of which will be done by migrant labour from South Asia.
Amnesty International had said that workers were being treated like 'animals', and urged football's world governing body FIFA to press Qatar to improve conditions for foreign labourers.
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On February 11, the Gulf state issued new guidelines aimed at protecting expatriate workers, suggesting they should be paid properly and promptly and housed adequately, the report added.