Indian opposition politicians on Friday urged the Indian government to ensure that ex-Indian Navy officers have full recourse to appeal in Qatar and that the government, through its diplomatic channels, try to bring them back as soon as possible.
Why Were Veteran Navy Officers Arrested?
On Thursday, news emerged that a Qatar court had passed death sentences for eight Indian Navy veterans on espionage charges. They were arrested by the State Security Bureau - Qatar's intelligence agency - in August last year.
All of the men were working for Dahra Global Technologies and Consulting Services, a private Qatari firm training navy personnel. The company had as many as 75 Indian nationals, most of whom were Indian Naval personnel.
However, the company's website no longer exists, as the company was closed in May 2023.
Along with the Indian nationals, Qatari national and CEO of Dahra Global Technologies, Khamis al-Ajmi, was also arrested and granted bail in October 2022. However, the Indian nationals were not granted bail.
Meanwhile, Qatari authorities have never publically disclosed charges against the Indians. Multiple media reports quoting sources said the Indians were working in their private capacity with Dahra Global to oversee the induction of Italian U2I2 small stealth submarines.
Who Are the Сondemned Navy Veterans?
The eight men include Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commodore Amit Nagpal, Commodore Purnendu Tiwari, Commodore Sugunakar Pakala, Commodore Sanjeev Gupta, and Sailor Ragesh.
Most of these individuals have been working with Dahra for the past four to six years.
In 2019, Commodore Tiwari, who was also managing director of the company, received the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman (Overseas Indian Award) for strengthening the bilateral relationship between India and Qatar. Tiwari was also the former head of the Qatar defense forces' International Military Cooperation.
How Did Indian Government React?
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday, in a statement, said that it was "deeply shocked" by the verdict passed by the Court of First Instance of Qatar on the matter.
"We are deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options. We attach high importance to this case and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities", the statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs read.
The ministry said that due to the confidential nature of the proceedings, "it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture".
The Indian Embassy in Qatar was first alerted about the arrest in mid-September 2022. It has been reported that the Indian ambassador to Doha, Deepak Mittal, met the detainees three times during their detention by the authorities.
The Indian government said that it would contest the verdict at a higher court.
What Are Indian Politicians Demanding?
Congress Parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor expressed his confidence in India's Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that they will act immediately with the highest levels of the Qatar government to bring them home.
"It [Congress] hopes and expects that the Govt of India will use its diplomatic and political leverage with the Qatar government to the maximum to ensure that the officers have full recourse to appeals and also do the utmost to get them released at the earliest", the Congress party said in a statement.