Incarceration of 8 Former Indian Navy Officers in Qatar Jail Raising Concerns
Image for Representational Purposes only. Picture Credits: ADGPIEight Indian naval veterans who have been in solitary confinement in Doha for about seven months are likely to face charges under various sections of the Qatari law, according to a report. The rejection of the veterans' last bail plea on 15 March dashed hopes for their early repatriation to India.
After filing a fresh petition on 19 March, they were informed that charges would be framed against them individually, and they will be tried in Qatari courts based on the charges. This news has left the families of the detained veterans panic-stricken and uncertain about what the future holds. The eight naval veterans are Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vashisht, Commander Purenendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal and Sailor Ragesh. The Indian government has been in touch with their counterparts in Doha to seek early repatriation. The veterans were working for Dahara Global Technologies & Consulting Services, a company meant to train Qatari Navy personnel, when they were detained. The incarceration of the eight former Indian Navy officers in Qatar has raised concerns, with some questioning why the news is not being discussed more actively.