Qatari police have released 17 of the 54 Nepali migrant workers arrested last week. The workers have been seeking judicial remedy for the past one year against their employer for denying them regular payments for 15 months. They had filed case against their employer Metal Farming Centre at various Qatari judiciaries, including High Court and Supreme Court.

The Nepali embassy in Qatar has requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate for their legal recourse. Acting Nepali Ambassador to Qatar Madiratna Sharma said the workers who want to continue their legal fight have been released, where as 37 others will be repatriated to Nepal according to their wish.

Sharma said the workers can continue their legal fight while working for another company in the emirate. They were arrested from a camp and sent to Search and Follow-up Department (SFD) for further investigation into the matter. The SFD usually deports the arrested migrant workers to their respective countries after keeping them at a deportation centre.

Nepali migrant worker Ratna Kumar Limbu of Tehrathum said the workers who have decided to stay in Qatar are happy. “We can continue our legal fight and work for another company now,” he said.

Metal Farming Centre had employed workers from Nepal, India and Sri Lanka for construction works. The workers claim the company owed them salary in arrears ranging from 400 to 25,000 Qatari riyals. The visa of those Nepali migrant workers has been already expired.