Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Oct 26: Eight former Indian Navy personnel who had been detained in Qatar for more than a year were given death sentences by a court there on Thursday.
The Indian government responded to the ruling by expressing its profound shock and stating that it is considering all available legal options.
“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,” said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in an official statement.
“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,” it added.
MEA did, however, acknowledge in its statement the confidential nature of the proceedings and said that it would not be commenting further at this time.
In August 2022, Qatar arrested eight ex-Indian Navy officers on allegations of espionage for Israel while they were employed by a company in Qatar.
On August 30, 2022, Qatar intelligence agency arrested the former Indian Navy officers, that included Captains Navtej Singh Gill, Birendra Kumar Verma, Saurabh Vasisht, Amit Nagpal, Purnendu Tiwari, Sugunakar Pakala, Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh.
Media reports suggest that the Navy veterans were confronted with allegations of engaging in espionage for Israel in connection with a submarine program. Additionally, Qatari authorities have asserted that they possess electronic evidence pertaining to this case.
