Indian envoy granted consular access to eight death row citizens in Qatar

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. | Photo Credit: ANI

The Indian Ambassador to Qatar received consular access to the eight Indian death row prisoners being held in Doha last Sunday (December 3), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated. The information came days after an informal meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Emir of Qatar, Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, on the sidelines of the COP28 meeting in Dubai. 

“We filed an appeal, as in, by the families. Two hearings have been held, one was on November 30th and the other was on November 23rd. Next hearing is coming up soon. We are closely following the matter and extending all legal and consular assistance. Meanwhile, our Ambassador got consular access to all the eight imprisoned on 3rd of December,” Arindam Bagchi, the MEA’s official spokesperson, said on December 7. 

Mr. Bagchi said that Prime Minister Modi and the Emir had discussed a range of issues, including the well-being of the Indian community in Qatar, and that they had had a “good conversation”. Both India and Qatar have been tight-lipped about the case that involves eight former Indian Navy officials working with the Al Dahra company in Doha. The men were arrested in August 2022 by the Qatari authorities.

A Court of First Instance in Qatar delivered the death sentence to all the eight persons on October 26. The MEA had said that it was “deeply shocked” with the verdict. Subsequently, appeals were filed by the family members of the men. 

The eight individuals are known to be Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, and Sailor Ragesh Gopakumar. It is learned that they were involved in providing know-how to Qatari defence forces on naval vessels.

All the arrested persons were denied bail and kept in solitary confinement before the they were handed the death sentence. The MEA has not yet disclosed the Qatari charges against the men, though it is often described as a “sensitive” matter related to security.