'Govt Putting All-Out Efforts To Ensure Their Return': Navy Chief On Ex-Navy Personnel On Death Row In Qatar

The navy personnel were arrested in August 2022 on charges of espionage on behalf of Israel.

Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar has said that the government is making all-out efforts to ensure the return of the eight former naval personnel on death row in Qatar. The navy personnel were arrested in August 2022 on charges of espionage on behalf of Israel.

The eight navy veterans—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—were arrested on charges of providing Israel with sensitive information regarding Qatar’s military submarine programme. 

Speaking on the matter, the Navy Chief said, "Govt of India is putting all-out efforts to ensure they are brought back. We are working closely to ensure their interests are looked after," as quoted by news agency PTI.

On October 26, the Indian nationals were given death sentence by Qatar's Court of First Instance. India described the ruling as "deeply" shocking and vowed to explore all legal options in the case. An appeal has already been filed against the death sentence and a higher court in Qatar has already admitted the plea. The appeal has been filed by the legal team of the detained Indian nationals.