Meets kin of men convicted in Qatar
Sandeep Dikshit
New Delhi, October 30
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met some of the family members of eight former Navy personnel sentenced to death in Qatar. He said the government would make all efforts to secure their release.
Worked with security firm
- Eight former Navy personnel were working with a private security company in Qatar
- They were sentenced to death on October 26 in a case of alleged espionage
The family members responded by pointing out that they had been raising the issue for quite some time. They said at this late stage, the government must move quickly as time was of essence.
In Goa, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said every effort was being made to ensure relief for the eight former Navy personnel in Qatar, who were working with a private security company Al Dahra. “Every effort is being made by the government to ensure relief for our personnel. We have heard the MEA statement on this,’’ he said while acknowledging that he was yet to see the court orders.
PM’s help sought
We request and plead with the PM to personally intervene to bring our eight veterans back. Meetu Bhargava, sister of Cdr Purnendu Tiwari (retd), one of eight veteran sentenced to death
Describing the ruling as “deeply” shocking, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has vowed to explore all legal options. “We are deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgment. We are in touch with family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options,’’ it had said. “Met this morning with the families of the eight Indians detained in Qatar. Stressed that the government attaches the highest importance to the case. Fully share the concerns and pain of the families,” Jaishankar said on X. “Underlined that the government will continue to make all efforts to secure their release. Will coordinate closely with the families in this regard,” he added. The Indian nationals were sentenced to death on October 26 in a case of alleged espionage.
“We don’t have much time left. We request and plead with the PM for his personal intervention to bring our eight veterans back. We cannot think of anyone else,’’ Meetu Bhargava, sister of Cdr Purnendu Tiwari (retd) who is among the eight sentenced to death. It was Bhargava who had brought the matter to public notice after the arrested Indians were allowed to briefly call their relatives. Till then, Delhi had kept the matter under wraps, hoping to resolve it with behind-the-scenes negotiations.
The charges were filed against the eight Navy veterans on March 25 and they were tried under Qatari law.