INDIA. Mumbai: Eight ex-Indian Navy officers who were picked up by the State Security Bureau, the Qatari intelligence agency, on the night of August 30, 2022, were sentenced to death by the Court of First Instance of Qatar on Thursday.
The victims were identified as Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Purenendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal, and Sailor Ragesh.
They were working at “Al Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services”, a private firm that provided training and other services to Qatar’s armed forces and security agencies. The firm was owned by an Omani national Khamis al-Ajmi, a retired squadron leader of the Royal Omani Air Force. The firm was shut down in May after Qatar alleged that the company was spying for Israel and passing sensitive documents.
According to official sources, over 75 Indians, including the ex-Indian Navy personnel, were asked to leave and were offered severance packages, and their visas were cancelled. They were informed that the company would close on May 31. Many Indians returned; however, eight ex-Indian Navy veterans remained behind. They were arrested by the State Security Bureau on August 30, 2022.
The Indian Embassy first learned about the arrests in mid-September 2022. On September 30, 2022, the men were allowed “brief telephonic contact” with family members. The first consular access was granted on October 3, 2022, when an official of the Indian Embassy met the victims. After that, they were allowed to make weekly phone calls to family members.
The first hearing in their trial was held in the Court of First Instance of Qatar on March 29; the next hearing was held on May 3; and the seventh hearing was held on October 3.
However, the families of the veterans were not informed about the formal charges under which the trial was being held, either by Qatari authorities or by Indian officials.
Meetu Bhargava, the sister of one of the officers, tweeted on March 30, “Eight Senior Citizen Naval Veterans are still languishing in solitary confinement at Doha in Qatar for more than 7 Months now despite assurances at Parliament by Hon’ble EAM in the month of December that ” their interests are foremost in our minds.”
On June 8, in a post on X, Meetu Bhargava appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene. “These Ex Navy officers are the pride of the nation & again I request our Hon’ble Prime Minister with folded hands that it is high time that they all are brought back to India immediately without any further delay pl. @narendramodi @AmitShah @rajnathsingh @MOS_MEA” she posted on X.
The Qatari authorities have not made public the charges against them, and they have been held in solitary confinement. However, in a post on X on Thursday, the Khaleej Times stated, “The eight men were accused of allegedly spying on a submarine programme”.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 26, the Union Ministry of External Affairs said that “We have initial information that the Court of First Instance of Qatar has today passed a judgement in the case involving 8 Indian employees of Al Dahra company. We are deeply shocked by the verdict of the 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. Due to the confidential nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture”, the statement added.
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