Our Bureau
Doha
Eight former Indian Navy personnel have been sentenced to death by a court in Qatar. The eight men were working for a private firm when they were detained by the Qatari intelligence service in Doha in August last year. The eight Navy veterans have been identified as Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Commander Purenendu Tiwari, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Amit Nagpal and Sailor Ragesh.
The ex-navy personnel was working for a defense service provider organization, Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, owned by a retired member of the Royal Omani Air Force. The owner was, however, was released in November last year. The private firm provided training and related services to Qatar’s armed forces.
The charges against them have not been made public by the Qatari government. The charges have been mentioned in the hearing but have not been made public. The Ministry of External Affairs said that it was ‘deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty’ and was ‘awaiting the detailed judgement’. The Ministry also said that it was ‘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 external ministry statement read.
