As New Delhi prepares to challenge the Qatar court’s decision to sentence eight former Indian Navy officers to death, opposition parties chastised the administration for failing to take the issue seriously when opposition MPs raised it in Parliament. According to AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, PM Modi must bring the officers back since he has “boasted” about how much Islamic nations admire him. Manish Tewari, a Congress MP, claimed that the administration never took the demands of family members, the Ex-Servicemen League, or even MPs seriously.
“This isn’t a case where we need to play ‘he said, she said’ to get brownie points. “The lives of eight very senior naval personnel are at stake,” stated the Congress MP.
“Their families were never informed of the charges brought against them.” “I am informed that the lawyer hired for their defense was evasive with the families,” Manish Tewari stated.
“The Indian National Congress has noted with great anguish, distress, and shock the most disturbing developments in Qatar involving 8 former Indian Navy officers.” It hopes and expects that the Government of India will use all diplomatic and political leverage with the Qatari government to ensure that the officers have full access to appeals and that they are released as soon as possible,” the Congress said in a statement on the death sentence.
What is the situation with the eight Indians sentenced to death in Qatar?
Al Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a private enterprise established by an Oman Air Force officer that provides training and other services to Qatar’s military forces and security agencies, employed eight former Navy personnel: seven officers and one sailor.
They were detained in August 2022, and the allegations against them were never made public due to confidentially, although they are suspected of espionage. Following the arrest of the eight Indians, the firm closed its doors.
Commander Purnendu Tiwari (retd), one of the eight, got the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award in 2019 for his contributions to the bilateral connection between India and Qatar.
Their bail applications were repeatedly denied, and they were denied contact with their family until India intervened and obtained consular access.
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New Delhi expressed dismay at the ruling and stated that it would investigate all legal possibilities.
When Qatar summoned India’s envoy in response to Nupur Sharma’s remark against the Prophet
Qatar voiced its concern with then-BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma’s remark against the Prophet in 2022. Qatar summoned the Indian ambassador and demanded a public apology. While the BJP suspended Nupur Sharma, the Indian government stated that the statements were made by fringe elements and did not represent the views of the Indian government.
