Qatar frees eight jailed Navy veterans: How India pulled off this move

‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. Chants rang out loud at Delhi airport as seven of the eight Indian Navy veterans, who were jailed in Qatar over alleged spying charges, returned home after being released. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) welcomed the decision by the Qatar authorities to release the former naval personnel after an 18-month ordeal, saying: “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,” it said. As India marks this momentous occasion, let’s take a look back at who these eight Navy veterans, the case in which they were arrested, and why their release is a huge diplomatic win for India. Who were the eight naval veterans? On 30 August 2022, eight former Indian Navy officers were arrested by Qatar’s State Security Bureau, the country’s spy agency, in the middle of the night. The eight were identified as Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Purenendu Tiwari, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Amit Nagpal and Sailor Ragesh Gopakumar. Following their stint in the Indian Navy, the eight were working for Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a defence services provider company, owned by an Omani national, a retired squadron leader of the Royal Omani Air Force Khamis al-Ajmi. He too was arrested but was released in November 2022. [caption id=“attachment_13715152” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The eight retired Naval personnel were arrested in August 2022. It’s been an ordeal for them – they were even placed in solitary confinement. Image used for representational purposes/Reuters[/caption] These ex-Navy personnel were highly-decorated officials. Commander Purnendu Tiwari (retired) — was reportedly the managing director of the firm. In 2019, he was also awarded Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award by the former President of India, Ram Nath Kovind. Captain Navtej Gill was awarded the President’s Gold Medal for excellence when he graduated from the Naval Academy and later served as an instructor at the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington in Tamil Nadu. After being arrested, they were imprisoned in a Qatar prison on undeclared charges and put in solitary confinement . Reports said that they were held for espionage. The Indian embassy in Doha apparently learnt about the arrest only in mid-September, according to the Indian Express. Why were they arrested? It is still unknown what exactly were the charges against the eight. However, reports have stated that the men had been charged with spying for Israel , a claim that the eight former Navy officials deny vehemently.

In fact, when asked about the spying allegations, a spokesperson for Israel’s embassy in India refused to comment, saying it was “not an Israeli matter”. At home, the MEA said that it was made aware of the arrests and they were extending all possible support to the arrested men. Some news reports said that besides the official legal means, New Delhi was also attempting to secure their release through diplomatic channels. However, on 26 October 2023, the eight Navy veterans were awarded the death sentence — a big blow to the officials and their families. India had then said it was “deeply shocked” by the verdict and that it was exploring all legal options. What happened next? Despite the huge blow of the Qatar government handing down a death sentence to the eight Navy veterans, the MEA continued to work on the matter, providing assistance to them and also reportedly taking up the case at political and diplomatic levels. Last November, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar visited Doha for the FIFA World Cup inauguration, raising hopes that that he would address the issue of the officers. However, it seemed that the matter was not discussed. In December 2023, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in Parliament that the detention of eight former Indian Navy officers was “a very sensitive case” and assured MPs that “their interests are foremost in our minds. Ambassadors and senior officials are in constant touch with the Qatar government. We assure they are our priority.” [caption id=“attachment_13715202” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai. It is believed that this meet moved the matter of the Naval veterans further and helped in securing their release. Image Courtesy: @narendramodi/X[/caption] On 1 December 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Tamim Bin Hamad, the Emir of Qatar, on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai. While exact details of their talks weren’t released, it was said that the two discussed the potential of the bilateral partnership and the well-being of the Indian community in Qatar. However, the PM and MEA officials remained tight-lipped on whether the matter of eight Navy veterans was discussed. It was after this meeting that the Indian Ambassador in Qatar got consular access to the veterans, and on 28 December, Qatar overturned the death sentence to the retired Navy officials. What do the Navy veterans say? As per an NDTV report, the eight had no prior information about their release and were taken away by embassy officials shortly after they were freed. The report further added that they boarded an IndiGo flight on Sunday and returned after 2 am. After their ordeal, the veterans, who are now back in the country, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government for securing their release. [caption id=“attachment_13715212” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The freed Indian Navy veterans after arriving in New Delhi. ANI[/caption] “We are very happy that we are back in India, safely. Definitely, we would like to thank PM Modi as this was only possible because of his personal intervention,” one of them said.

Another chiming in added, “We waited almost for 18 months to be back in India. We are extremely grateful to the PM. It wouldn’t have been possible without his personal intervention and his equation with Qatar. We are grateful to the Government of India from the bottom of our hearts for every effort that has been made and this day won’t have been possible without those efforts.”

“We, as well as our anxious family members back home, had been waiting for this day for a long time. It all worked out because of PM Modi and his personal intervention in the matter. He took up our case with the highest levels of the Qatari government and eventually secured our release. I don’t have enough words to express my gratitude to him and the Emir of Qatar,” said one of the released veterans at Delhi airport. A diplomatic win? The release of the Navy veterans is, indeed, a diplomatic win for India and also puts on display New Delhi’s diplomatic prowess. Since the arrest of the eight retired Navy personnel, the MEA has been continuously in talks with their Qatari counterparts in attempts to secure their release. Prime Minister Modi, himself, took up the matter, showcasing how important is the safety of Indians abroad. With this case, India shows to the world that it is not one to bend or back away and will continuously fight for its citizens, and always put nation first. With inputs from agencies