MEA reveals why return of 8th Indian Navy veteran released from Qatar is getting delayed

Weeks after Qatar released eight ex-Indian Navy officials who were given death sentences over suspected espionage, only seven have returned home.

The External Affairs Ministry on Thursday explained why the eighth Indian national has been held back.

“About the Indian national in Qatar, all 8 Indian nationals who were involved in the Dahra Global case, they have been released. 7 of them have returned to India. The 8th Indian national has certain requirements to fulfill. He will return as and when those are completed,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press conference.  

#WATCH | MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "About the Indian national in Qatar, all 8 Indian nationals who were involved in the Dahra Global case, they have been released. 7 of them have returned to India. The 8th Indian national has certain requirements to fulfill. He will… pic.twitter.com/8KNBDcuuRj

— ANI (@ANI) February 29, 2024

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Who were the eight ex-Navy personnel?

The eight Navy veterans worked with Al Dahra, a private company in Qatar.

Among the eight men, one is a sailor and others are esteemed Navy officials including Captains Navtej Gill and Saurabh Vasisht, Commanders Purnendu Tiwari, Amit Nagpal, SK Gupta, BK Verma, Sugunakar Pakala, and sailor Ragesh.

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Captain Gill was honoured with the President’s Gold Medal for excellence and served as an instructor at the Defence Service Staff College in Tamil Nadu while Commander Tiwari was recognised with Pravasi Bharatiya Samman in 2019 and had been training the Qatari Navy.