Qatar sentences Indian ex-naval officers to death

India has said it is exploring all legal options after a court in Qatar sentenced eight former Indian naval officers to death on unspecified charges.

Reports say the men, who worked with a private company in Qatar, were arrested last year on suspicion of spying.

Neither Qatar nor India have revealed the specific charges against them.

On Thursday, the Indian government said it was "deeply shocked" and would take up the verdict with Qatari authorities.

India's foreign ministry said in a statement that it was awaiting the detailed judgment and attached "high importance to this case".

"We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options," the ministry said, adding that it would not make further comment right now because of the "confidential nature of proceedings of this case".

The statement describes the men as employees of a private company called Al Dahra, but they have been widely reported to be former personnel of the Indian Navy. Last year, in parliament, foreign minister S Jaishankar described them as "ex-servicemen" of the country. The families of some of the men have also confirmed their identities and background in the Navy to local media.

Their arrest in August last year had made front-page headlines in India, but there has been little confirmed information about the charges against them.

According to The Hindu newspaper, the men were allegedly accused of "breaching sensitive secrets" but neither of the governments have confirmed this. The BBC could not independently verify the allegations but has reached out to the Qatar embassy with questions.

Experts say the recent diplomatic tensions could impact relations between the two countries. "There are over 700,000 Indians in Qatar and we have close economic ties. The Indian government has been following the case closely without doubt, but would need to take it up at the highest level to ensure their lives are saved," Former Indian ambassador to Qatar, Deepa Gopalan, told The Hindu.

In December, Mr Jaishankar told parliament that the government was in constant touch with Qatar over the "very sensitive case".

"Their interests are foremost in our minds. Ambassadors and senior officials are in constant touch with Qatar's govt. We assure, they're our priority," he said.

Millions of Indians live in the Gulf, with tens of thousands of them working in semi-skilled and unskilled low-income jobs.

These migrant workers have played a key role in building the economies of Gulf Arab states and also form an important source of remittances for India.

The reasons for their arrest and death penalty are yet to be made public, although unconfirmed speculation has hinted at they were involved in espionage for a foreign state. Reacting to the news, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday that it was “deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty” and that it was “exploring all legal options”.

1. Captain Navtej Gill (Retd)

Captain Gill hails from Chandigarh and is the son of a retired Army officer. He was awarded the President’s gold medal as a cadet and served at the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington. In what is considered a prized appointment, he was posted at INS Viraat, India’s second aircraft carrier which was decommissioned in 2017, as a navigating officer. He also commanded INS Prabal — an advanced missile corvette and the lead ship of the legendary Killer squadron, most known for its role in bombing Karachi port during the 1971 Indo-Pak War.

2. Commander Sugunakar Pakala (Retd)

An alumnus of Sainik school, Korukonda, both Commander Pakala’s parents were educationists. He was an engineering officer in the Navy, holding the unique record of crossing the equator twice aboard INS Tarangini, a 500 tonne sailship. A decorated officer, he had received a commendation from the commander-in-chief (C-in-C). After retiring from the Navy, he briefly worked at Hindustan Shipyard Ltd in Vishakhapatnam.

3. Captain Saurabh Vashisht (Retd)

An engineering officer in the Navy, Captain Vashisht received commendations from C-in-C twice. He has done courses at DSSC, Wellington as well as the College of Defence Management at Secunderabad. He was command refit officer at Southern Naval Command and served on INS Magar, INS Kulish, INS Khanjar and Indian Coast Guard Ship Sangram. He hails from Dehradun.

4. Commander Purnendu Tiwari (Retd)

A navigation specialist from the executive branch of the Navy, Cdr Tiwari commanded INS Magar and was the fleet navigating officer of the Navy’s Eastern Fleet. He has also served on Rajput class destroyers. After retirement, he trained Singapore naval personnel prior to moving to Qatar. He was the first ever Armed Forces veteran to receive the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award. He was presented the honour by then President Ramnath Kovind in 2019. Prior to his arrest last year, he was training personnel from the Qatari Navy.

5. Captain BK Verma (Retd)

Captain Verma was a navigation specialist and had served aboard a Godavari class ship. He was also a topper in the Staff College course. Both he and his wife share a military background.

6. Commander Amit Nagpal (Retd)

The former naval officer was a communications specialist in the Navy.

7. Commander SK Gupta (Retd)

The former naval officer specialised in Gunnery.

8. Ragesh

He was a sailor in the Navy. He is the only non-commissioned officer be involved in the current situation.

I hope they ask to see all the evidence. It is difficult for me to believe they were spying.

Originally posted by: R3E6ENIQJO222DBQ

I hope they ask to see all the evidence. It is difficult for me to believe they were spying.

It can't just be coincidence that these 8 navy veterans fom India were working in qatar. Also, sad to see Indians are more worried about Israel and busy supporting genocide than worrying abt their ex defense personnel facing death sentence.

Originally posted by: O5YBQEXUZUD25C62

It can't just be coincidence that these 8 navy veterans fom India were working in qatar. Also, sad to see Indians are more worried about Israel and busy supporting genocide than worrying abt their ex defense personnel facing death sentence.

Thanks for sharing. Hopefully this situation resolves fairly .. Indians/paks/ bang are 2nd class citizens there .. these 8 Indians need all the support they can get. Wishing for a speedy resolution 🙏

Not a word of sorrow from some people on these news?

And no reaction on Kerala blasts from people who were boasting about a rally in Kerala calling it the biggest rally in the world? People shedding tears and filling pages over the war don't have n emotion to share for their own country.

India has been a sufferer of terrorism since decades..and has withstood invaders since centuries..faced the barbarism..had first hand experience of the violent mentality.

Why should I stand for anyone else?

I just stand for My country.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/live-updates-kerala-kochi-kalamassery-convention-centre-blasts-explosions-prayer-meet-jehovahs-witnesses/liveblog/104795079.cms

https://twitter.com/sardesairajdeep/status/1718677385216971130

Originally posted by: Kyahikahoon

Not a word of sorrow from some people on these news?

And no reaction on Kerala blasts from people who were boasting about a rally in Kerala calling it the biggest rally in the world? People shedding tears and filling pages over the war don't have n emotion to share for their own country.

India has been a sufferer of terrorism since decades..and has withstood invaders since centuries..faced the barbarism..had first hand experience of the violent mentality.

Why should I stand for anyone else?

I just stand for My country.

Christians were being killed in Manipur for months but not a word from our PM. He was only forced to say a line or two when the news of Christian girl being paraded naked went viral. Churches are vandalized in India on regular basis but I don't hear a word of sorrow from anyone.

I guess the only reason some people are worried now for this incident is because they assumed it was done by the members of certain community they hate. But they must be devastated now after hearing its not the case.

Originally posted by: 2Y44DTUYHY7YYUAT

Christians were being killed in Manipur for months but not a word from our PM. He was only forced to say a line or two when the news of Christian girl being paraded naked went viral. Churches are vandalized in India on regular basis but I don't hear a word of sorrow from anyone.

I guess the only reason some people are worried now for this incident is because they assumed it was done by the members of certain community they hate. But they must be devastated now after hearing its not the case.

Have u checked recent news on Manipur? Is the violence still on? If not how did it end..and how did it start..

How long r people going to bring up this same line? Just like Gujarat riots.

Churches being vandalized on regular basis? How regular..pls post.

M just worried coz people have tears to shed for everything else but r selective in issues regarding India

Originally posted by: Kyahikahoon

Have u checked recent news on Manipur? Is the violence still on? If not how did it end..and how did it start..

How long r people going to bring up this same line? Just like Gujarat riots.

Churches being vandalized on regular basis? How regular..pls post.

M just worried coz people have tears to shed for everything else but r selective in issues regarding India

I can understand why people are so ignorant. Mainstream media will not show anything that will hurt India's image.

Anti-Christian violence in India is religiously motivated violence against Christians in India. Human Rights Watch has classified violence against Christians in India as a tactic used by the right-wing Sangh Parivar organizations to encourage and exploit communal violence in furtherance of their political ends.The acts of violence include arson of churches, conversion of Christians by force, physical violence, sexual assaults, murders, rapes, and the destruction of Christian schools, colleges, and cemeteries.

Anti-Christian violence increased dramatically since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) started its rule at the center, first in March 1998 and more recently in 2014 (incumbent). The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are the organizations which have been most frequently accused of inciting the violence. Hundreds of incidents of violence against Christians are reported by various organizations every year. India's ministry of internal security and its National Commission for Minorities (NCM) officially list more than a hundred religiously motivated attacks against Christians each year.