A Qatari court on Thursday announced the death sentence for eight Indian Navy personnel who were arrested in August last year on charges of spying in an undersea program on behalf of Israel. The Indian government described the verdict as “deeply” shocking.
The Indian nationals, all employees of Al Dahra, were taken into custody in August last year in an alleged espionage case. The accusations of this Indian citizen have not been made public by the Qatari authorities.
India’s ambassador to Qatar met the men in prison after being granted access to the consulate on October 1.
The CEO of Dahra Global traveled to Doha to try to get his officials fired. But the newspaper says he also found himself in solitary confinement for two months before being released on bail.
Who were the eight Indian citizens?
Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vashisht, Commander Purenendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal and Sailor Ragesh.
Where did the eight Indians work?
Eight Indian nationals were working in Qatar’s Dahra Global Technologies and Consulting Services. It is a private company that provides training and various other services to the defense and security organizations of Qatar.
According to media reports, Dahra Global Technologies and Consulting Services is the consulting company for Qatar’s program to acquire high-tech Italian-made submarines that could evade radar detection.
The company closed in May 2023, according to Al Jazeera. The company employed up to 75 Indian nationals, most of whom were ex-Navy personnel.
After the Qatari court of first instance handed down the verdict, New Delhi said it was “deeply shocked” by it. The Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi said it will continue to provide all consular and legal assistance to the former Indian Navy personnel now imprisoned in the West Asian country from August 2022.
Although neither Doha nor Delhi have ever officially released charges against the eight Indian Navy personnel, sources said the Qatari government accused them of espionage. They were arrested in Doha in August 2022 for allegedly passing intelligence to Israel on a project to build a stealth submarine for Qatar.
“We are deeply shocked by the death penalty verdict and await the detailed judgment. We are in touch with family members and the legal team and are exploring all legal options,” said Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi. “We attach great importance to this case and are following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also discuss the verdict with the Qatari authorities.”
“Due to the confidential nature of the proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time,” he added.
