December 4, 2022
2 mins read

Families still in dark over fate of 8 ex-Indian Navy men in Qatar custody

According to a source, they have been wrongly charged with espionage, apparently on the behest of one of India’s neighbours….reports Asian Lite News

While all eyes are on the ongoing football World Cup in Qatar, little is known of the fate of eight ex-Indian Navy personnel imprisoned in that country for over 90 days now.

The Indian Ex Servicemen Movement (IESM) has now written to India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar, seeking his intervention. Copies of the letter have been forwarded to the Prime Minister, Defence Minister and three services chiefs.

According to Major Gen. Satbir Singh (retd), chairman, IESM and advisor, United Front of Ex Servicemen, the Ex-Indian Navy personnel were working for Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services in Doha, as per a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Qatar. Their job was to train Qatar Navy personnel.

“The families of the Ex-Indian Navy personnel lost contact with them on August 30. From their office in Doha, the families came to know that they were picked up around midnight from their homes by the State Security Bureau, Ministry of Interior, Qatar. One wonders how this could have happened when the eight were working under a policy to train personnel of friendly navies. This has been endorsed by Indian Ambassadors to Qatar,” Maj Gen Singh (retd) tweeted.

Consular access was granted to the eight only once on October 3, when it came to be known that they are in solitary confinement. According to a source, they have been wrongly charged with espionage, apparently on the behest of one of India’s neighbours.

“This is mischief of the worst kind. The Ex-Indian Navy personnel are Cdr Purnendu Tiwari, Capt Navtej Singh Gill, Cdr Birendra Kumar Verma, Capt Saurabh Vashisht, Cdr Sugnakar Pakala, Cdr Amit Nagpal, Cdr Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh,” the source added.

In his letter to the External Affairs Minister, Maj Gen Singh has noted how the families of the eight are anxious about their health conditions.

“Their release and repatriation at the earliest are desired,” he has stated in the letter. The retired general, in one of his tweets, has also expressed apprehension that unless the Indian government takes immediate action, the eight may face torture to extract false confessions.

ALSO READ: Qatar games unite people

Previous Story

‘Surveillance gaps create perfect conditions for new deadly variants’

Next Story

Indian-origin part of Canadian team to recruit nurses from Karnataka

Latest from -Top News

Fragile Peace in Sweida Gains Regional Support

Jordan, Syria, U.S. discuss Syria’s Sweida ceasefire in Amman as more Israeli Druze cross border to Syria to fuel tensions Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Syrian foreign affairs chief Asaad Al-Shaibani, and

The illusion of normalcy in Israel

As people are trying to heal from the scars of war and resume their everyday lives, for those of us living in Israel, normalcy feels like an illusion — fleeting, easily shattered

Outrage in Eswatini as US sends foreign convicts

The Eswatini government confirmed that five foreign nationals deported from the US are being held in solitary confinement in undisclosed prisons The arrival of five deportees from the United States to Eswatini

DR Congo, M23 armed group sign ceasefire

The ceasefire deal, formalised through a Declaration of Principles, was signed after a series of discussions that began in April In a significant development aimed at bringing lasting peace to the mineral-rich
Go toTop

Don't Miss

India to hold first ever special forces exercises with Egypt

Wael Hamed said Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Egyptian President

India Plans New Military, Civilian Airport at Minicoy

From the military point of view, the airfield would give