An Indian court in Qatar has given the death penalty to eight former sailors who were accused of spying for Israel against Qatar. While India is shocked by what happened, it has also said that it will appeal the ruling.
Who are these people who are at the center of everything? Let us find out.
Eight people who used to work in the Indian Navy have now retired. Their names are Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Commander Purenendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal, and Sailor Ragesh.
News sources say they worked at Dahra Global Technologies and Consulting Services in Qatar, a private company that helps the country’s defense and security forces with training and other tasks.
These eight people were arrested in August of last year after being charged by officials in Qatar with spying for Israel.
Since the time they were locked up, Indian officials have given them consular access.
In response to the news, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a release on Thursday:
It was decided today by the Court of First Instance of Qatar that 8 Indian workers at the Al Dahra company were guilty. We are shocked by the decision to give the death sentence and are waiting for the full judgment. People in the family and the legal team are in touch with us, and we are looking into all of our legal choices.
“We take this case very seriously and have been keeping a close eye on it.” We will keep offering all kinds of legal and diplomatic help. It also said, “We will also talk about the verdict with the Qatari government.”
The statement also said that because the proceedings in this case are private, it would not be proper to make any further comments at this time.
At the same time, veteran leader Kapil Sibal asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help free them, saying that the government should look into all of their choices.
Sibal, who is also a famous lawyer, wrote on X, “Our Vishwa Guru (PM Modi) must step in.” A court in Qatar put eight Indian ex-Navy sailors to death.
Held responsible for charges that the Qatari government has not even made public. The former leader of Congress said, “Our government must look into all options for their release.”
