8 former Indian Navy personnel get death penalty in Qatar court, MEA says "deeply shocked''

The MEA acknowledged the confidential nature of the proceedings and declined to comment further (Representative image)

A Qatar court on October 26 handed down the death penalty to eight former Indian Navy personnel who have been detained in the country for over a year.  The Ministry of External Affairs expressed shock over the verdict.

"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,” read the MEA statement.  However, the MEA acknowledged the confidential nature of the proceedings and declined to comment further. The MEA had been providing all necessary consular assistance to the convicted individuals.

The eight men, including decorated officers who have commanded major Indian warships, were employed with Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services. The private firm provided training and related services to Qatar’s armed forces. Their bail pleas were rejected numerous times and their detention was extended by Qatari authorities. According to Telegraph India, the Indian ambassador to Qatar met the men in prison on October 1 after being granted consular access.

According to India Today, the former Indian Navy officers — Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh — were arrested by Qatar intelligence agency from Doha on August 30, 2022.   According to Indian Express,  the officers were allowed to talk to their families while in custody in September.

They have been accused of allegedly spying on a submarine programme.  The men went to trial in March. According to ANI sources the group charged with spying may have been “framed" by Pakistani intelligence agencies. Qatar claimed to have electronic evidence pertaining to the allegations.

According to CNBC TV18,  Qatari authorities said these eight former naval officers were spying on Qatar’s secret submarine programme for Israel. According to local media reports, the detentions was based on suspicion of leaking confidential information to Israel.

Meetu Bhargava, sister of one the former officers detained, had sought help from the  Centre, according to reports. According to Indian Express, families said they had not been informed of the formal charges  either by Qatar authorities or by Indian officials.