Punishment on Tamil prisoners in Qatar harsh, India has filed appeal: MEA

New Delhi [India], Dec. 8 (ANI): External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup on Thursday said the penalty imposed on two men from Tamil Nadu, who were sentenced to death in Doha for allegedly murdering an elderly woman in 2012, is too harsh and a lawyer has been appointed while adding that the Indian Embassy is closely monitoring the situation. "Subramanian Alagappa and Chelladurai Perumal continue to remain on death row and the third convict Sivakumar Arasan, his case was reviewed by the court and his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. We have filed case with respect of all three, because we believe that the penalty is too harsh. We understand that the next hearing is on January 2, 2017. Our embassy in Qatar continues to closely monitored this case in association with the lawyer who has been appointed for all the three accused," he said to media here. Chelladurai Perumal from Virudhunagar district and Alagappa Subramaniam from Pudukottai district were handed the death sentence on May 30 whereas Sivakumar Arasan from Salem was been given life imprisonment. Forty-four-year-old Chelladurai Perumal had left for Qatar in July 2011 to work as a construction labourer The three men have been kept in prison for the last four years. On July 15, Suresh Kumar, a lawyer saw a media report on the death sentence and took the initiative to help the Chelladurai's family. He went to Doha to meet the three men and help them. (ANI)