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All-out effort to ensure return of veterans on death row in Qatar: Navy chief

ByRahul Singh
Dec 01, 2023 03:50 PM IST

In November, a court of appeal in Qatar accepted the Indian government’s application against the death sentence to seven retired naval officers and a sailor

The government is making an all-out effort to ensure that the former Indian Navy personnel, who have been sentenced to death in Qatar, are brought back, Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said on Friday.

Indian Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar at a press conference ahead of the Navy Day celebrations. (ANI)
Indian Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar at a press conference ahead of the Navy Day celebrations. (ANI)

“There is total support and effort being put in by the government,” the Navy chief said at his traditional press conference ahead of Navy Day on December 4.

A court in Qatar handed down the death penalty to seven retired naval officers and a sailor in October.

Admiral Kumar said they were working closely with the agencies concerned to ensure that interests of the veterans are looked after. “The ex-naval officers in Qatar are veterans...and we are interested in ensuring their welfare is taken care of. I want to reassure you that the Indian government is putting all-out efforts to ensure that they are brought back,” he said in response to a question on the fate of the veterans.

In November, a court of appeal in Qatar accepted the Indian government’s application against the death sentence. The government is engaged with the authorities in Qatar to find a resolution to the issue that has cast a shadow on bilateral ties.

The veterans had outstanding careers in the Navy. One of them, Captain Navtej Gill, was awarded the President’s Gold Medal for excellence when he graduated from the naval academy and later served as an instructor at the prestigious Defence Services Staff College at Wellington in Tamil Nadu.

Another veteran Commander Purnendu Tiwari was conferred the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award four years ago. He was the first from the Indian armed forces to be awarded the highest honour for Non-Resident Indians/Persons of Indian origin.

The other veterans are Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commanders Amit Nagpal, SK Gupta, BK Verma, Sugunakar Pakala, and Sailor Ragesh.

The eight men were employees of Al Dahra Global Technologies, a private firm that provided training and other services to Qatar’s armed forces and security agencies. They were held on unspecified charges since August 2022. Reports have suggested the men were accused of espionage.

The bail pleas of the men were rejected and their detention was extended. They were also held in solitary confinement and not allowed to meet their families. Following the intervention of Indian authorities, officials from the Indian embassy in Qatar were given consular access to the men. Meetings and phone calls were also arranged with their relatives.

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