Eight Indian Navy veterans, who had been jailed in Qatar on alleged spying charges. Who have been released, with seven of them already back in India following an 18-month detention. The Indian government expressed gratitude for the release and credited the decision to the Amir of the State of Qatar. The veterans, including Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal, and Sailor Ragesh, were detained in August 2022 while working for Dahra Global.
Their arrest was related to their involvement in assisting the introduction of Italian U212 stealth submarines into the Qatari Emiri Naval Force. Despite being sentenced to death by a Qatari court on October 26, 2023, the veterans were released. India had expressed shock at the initial verdict, exploring all legal options. The veterans were unaware of their imminent release and were taken away by embassy officials shortly after being freed.
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The death sentence for the Navy veterans
In December, the death sentence for the Navy veterans was commuted, occurring shortly after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani during the COP28 summit in Dubai. The veterans, now safely back in India, expressed their gratitude to PM Modi and the government for their release.
“We are delighted to be back in India safely. We extend our heartfelt thanks to PM Modi, as his personal intervention made this possible,” one of the veterans stated. “After waiting nearly 18 months to return to India, we are extremely thankful to the PM. This wouldn’t have been achievable without his direct involvement and diplomatic relations with Qatar. We express our gratitude to the Government of India for every effort made, and this day wouldn’t have been possible without those dedicated efforts,” another veteran added.
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