Eight Indians awarded death penalty in Qatar

New Delhi, Oct 26: Qatar announced death sentence for eight Indians in its custody on the charge of alleged espionage. It has come in the backdrop of current Israel- Hamas conflict. All eight are decorated Indian Navy Officers. These eight former Indian Navy personnel were on Thursday handed death penalty in Qatar by a local court, a verdict that India described as “deeply” shocking.
These veterans are -1 Capt Navtej Singh Gill, 2. Captain Saurabh Vashisht, 3. Commander Purenendu Tiwari, 4. Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, 5. Commander Sugunakar Pakala, 6. Commander Sanjeev Gupta, 7. Commander Amit Nagpal and 8. Sailor Ragesh.
The Indian nationals, all employees of Al Dahra Company, were taken into custody in August last year in an alleged case of espionage. The charges against the Indian nationals were not made public by Qatari authorities.
In its reaction, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it is attaching “high importance” to this case and is exploring all legal options.
“We have initial information that the Court of First Instance of Qatar has today passed a judgement in the case involving eight Indian employees of Al Dahra company,” it said.
“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,” it said.
The MEA said it will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance to the Indians.