The Indian government experiences a sigh of relief as Qatar frees former Indian Navy veterans who were charged with espionage. Marking the significant point in the diplomatic relationship between India and Qatar, seven out of eight navy veterans have returned to their homeland. They were arrested on August 30, 2022. The navy veterans in Qatar were claimed to be spying for Israel and hence were sentenced to death sentence by the Qatar government.
Who were the Indian Navy veterans in Qatar?
There were prestigious 8 naval officers in Qatar who were jailed for months. The former Indian navy veterans in Qatar were Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vashisht, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Purenendu Tiwari, Commander Amit Nagpal, and Sailor Ragesh. As the news agency PTI reported, all the officers served for over 20 years and held important positions in the Indian Navy, like instructors in the force. One of the former officers, Captain Gill, was awarded the President’s Gold Medal for excellence upon his graduation from the Naval Academy and later worked as an instructor at the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington in Tamil Nadu.
Why are our eight ex-navy officers in jail in Qatar?
Our Indian Navy veterans in Qatar worked for a private company named Al Dahra. Then, on August 30, 2022, they were sentenced to death under suspicion of spying for Israel. The 8 naval officers in Qatar have been imprisoned since October 2022 and were accused of allegedly spying on a submarine program. Under the Qatari law, they were charged on March 25, 2023, and in May, Al-Dhara Global closed its functioning in Doha, and all those working there (primarily Indians) returned home.
The shock came on October 26, 2023, when Qatar’s Court of First Instance gave the eight officers death sentences. On November 9, 2023, an appeal was filed by the legal team of detained Indian naval that was admitted in the higher court. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on November 16, 2023, that India is engaged with the Qatari authorities on the matter. Finally, the plea against the death penalty was accepted by the Qatar court on November 23, 2023.
The Indian Ambassador to Qatar met the navy veterans in Qatar, and Arindam Bagchi said two hearings against the penalty were done till November 7, 2023. The favored decision was made by an appellate court in Qatar, saying the punishment is “reduced,” which was not specified, and we waited for a concrete statement on December 27, 2023. This positive response came after weeks of meetings between PM Modi and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, on the sidelines of the COP28 Summit in Dubai.
In the January 4, 2024, press briefing done by MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, it was said that a 60-day window has opened to appeal the case in the highest court in Qatar, and the legal team had the confidential documents. At last, the navy veterans in Qatar were released by Doha on February 12, 2024, as announced in the official statement.
Qatar frees former Indian Navy veterans.
As Qatar frees Indian Navy veterans, the diplomatic relations between both countries have resurfaced. After returning to their country, ex-navy officers were thankful for the efforts of the Indian government. As said by one former officer, “It wouldn’t have been possible for us to stand here without the intervention of PM Modi. And it also happened due to the continuous efforts of the Government of India“. After months of struggle, navy veterans can take a breath of peace.
