New Delhi: The families of the eight Indian naval veterans sentenced to death by a Qatari court have appealed to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a personal intervention to secure the release of the men.
On October 26, the Court of First Instance in Qatar sentenced eight former Indian Navy officers, who had been working for a private company, to death. The Indian Ministry of External said that it was “deeply shocked” by the judgment and was looking at all legal options.
The charges against the eight Indian nationals have not been made public, but as per media reports they were detained on suspicion of passing down classified information to a third country.
After the sentencing, the sister of one of the former Indian navy officers made an appeal to the Indian prime minister.
“We couldn’t come to terms with what we heard as my brother, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, who happens to be a decorated naval veteran has done no wrong and is innocent. We plead to our Prime Minister to intervene and bring back our officers,’’ Meetu Bhargava told The New Indian Express.
Purnendu Tiwari is also a recipient of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award for his contribution towards capacity building of the Qatari Navy.
Besides Tiwari, the other men are Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commodore Amit Nagpal, Commodore Sugunakar Pakala, Commodore Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh.
Amit Nagpal’s brother Vikas Nagpal has also started a signature campaign to seek public support for the release of all the eight veterans.
“The lack of transparency and due process in this case is deeply concerning as it undermines faith in legal systems globally. This petition aims to bring attention to this grave issue and seeks justice for these individuals who have served their country honourably. Please sign this petition and support our cause for justice, fairness, and respect for human rights,” said the petition.
It also urged the Indian government “to intervene at the highest level and secure their release”.
The petition noted that the former naval officers had been sentenced to death “without any public disclosure of the allegations against them or sharing of proof”. “They were held in solitary confinement for nearly a year without filing of charges, an act that is not only unjust but also violates basic human rights,” it stated.