Mohammad Shahid Miah

Mohammad Shahid Miah
When he died the debt fell on his parents
The heavy rains in Qatar in the autumn of 2020 were a death sentence for Mohammad Shahid Miah. The water found its way to the floor where he lived and reached the electricity. When Miah stepped on the wet floor, he was electrified and died. Mohammad Shahid Miah had paid a recruitment company more than $ 4,800 for the job in Qatar. The debt remains after his death and his parents now have to pay. His father says they are still waiting for compensation from the government.
Told to the journalistic platform Blankspot
The torrential rains in Qatar during the fall 2020 became the death sentence for 29-year-old Mohammad Shahid Miah. His living quarters flooded and when he stepped on the floor, he was electrocuted.
In the official death certificate by the Qatar Ministry of Public Health, the cause of death is listed as ”Electrocution with consequent complications”. The Bangladesh Embassy produced a separate document called, “No Objection Certificate” (NOC) which stated that Mohammad Shahid Miah worked in Qatar and employed by Smart System General Contracting Company with a headquarter in Doha. The Embassy also stated that the employer should pay compensation to the family, considering the nature of the fatal accident.
Despite all documentation, the family did not hear a single word from the employer or embassy staff for over a year. The family consists of aging parents, four unmarried siblings, and the situation in their village in the Sylhet district was tough already before the breadwinner’s death.
“Every day is a struggle,” Altab Ali, the father says, “We have three unmarried daughters and a young son. Our only income is from farming our land.”
It was poverty that drove Mohammad Shahid Miah to leave home and get a job in the richest of all Gulf countries, Qatar.
At first he had a job that didn’t pay very well, but after he got the right work visa with the help of the Bangladesh embassy, the situation improved somewhat.
“He was hired as both a cook and a driver, he was paid monthly and his employer also provided room and board,” says Sahena Begum, the mother.
Mohammad Shahid Miah agreed to pay a recruiting firm nearly $5,000 to get a job, a large sum of for someone from Bangladesh. The money was scraped together by loans from relatives. When he died the debt fell on his parents.
It’s not just the loss or dire financial situation that upsets his family, the employer hasn’t sent any condolences whatsoever.
“They didn’t even bother to help send his body home,” the father says. “It was his compatriots that organized a fundraiser so they could afford it.”
After a long year the family received compensation from the authorities in Bangladesh.
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