8 Indian Navy Veterans Awarded With Death Penalty By Qatar Freed, 7 Returned Home (image@narendramodi)

The Navy veterans, who were facing death sentence over an alleged espionage charges have been freed. Seven among the eight veterans returned to India. Upon their arrival in India, the veterans said they wish to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the release.

Talking to media, one of the veterans said, “I wish to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi as this wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for his personal intervention to secure our release”.

Upon arriving at the Delhi airport, they chanted “Bharath Mata Ki Jai”. Another veteran said that they are extremely grateful to PM Modi in aiding them to be back home as they have waited 18 months.

The government announced the release of the veterans early this morning and thanked the Emir of Qatar for enabling their release. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry of India said, “The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained in Qatar. Seven out of the eight of them have returned to India. We appreciate the decision by the Amir of the State of Qatar to enable the release and home-coming of these nationals”.

The Navy veterans including  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 in August 2022, suspecting them of spies associating with Israel.

They were given the death sentence in October by Qatar’s Court of First Instance and in November, India had moved the Court of Appeal in Qatar against the death sentence.