Cong MP flies notice to discuss death penalty to ex-navy staff in Qatar

Congress MP Manish Tewari on Tuesday gave an Adjournment Motion Notice in the Lok Sabha and demanded a discussion on the death penalty for eight former Indian Navy personnel in Qatar.

"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 sentenced by the Qatari court on October 26, 2023. I have been constantly raising this matter since August 2022 both inside and outside the House but the response of the Government has been - NO RESPONSE for -14 months," Tewari said in his notice.

The Congress MP also mentioned that eight naval personnel were brutally tortured, self incriminating confessions extracted and sentenced to death in a "Kangaroo Trail" in a couple of "perfunctory hearings".

Tewari alleged that the central government has not even called in the Qatari Ambassador to protest the matter strongly and there is no "visible protest" by the central government.

"Despite the purported acceptance of their appeal, crucial details such as charges, court rationale, and the judgment of the copy of the Court of First Instance remains undisclosed," Tiwari stated.

Moreover, Congress MP Manickam Tagore gave an Adjournment Motion Notice in the Lok Sabha to discuss the "severe impact" of heavy rainfall in Chennai owing to Cyclone Michaung.

"Acknowledging the swift response by the state goverment that prevenited any loss of lives, it is imperative to discuss the situation in Parliament, especially the closuse of the airport due to water on the runway, and the need for preparedness in the face of natural disasters like Cystone Michaung," Tagore mentioned in his notice.

The eight former naval personnel were sentenced to death by the Court of First Instance of Qatar.

The Court of First Instance of Qatar recently passed a verdict of death penalty for eight former naval officers who were detained in Doha, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The eight former Indian Navy personnel were employees of Dahra Global, a Doha-based private defence services provider. They were arrested in August 2022 for alleged espionage.

India called the ruling 'deeply shocking' and deployed all diplomatic channels to engage with Qatar on this case. "The eight former Indian Navy personnel were employees of Dahra Global, a Doha-based private defence services provider. They were arrested in August 2022 for alleged espionage," the Ministry of External Affairs said.

In November, the Qatari court had accepted the appeal document on the sentencing of eight former Indian naval personnel to death. An appeal was filed by India against the death penalty awarded to the eight Indian ex-Navy personnel in Qatar.

India had been given a round of consular access to the detainees on November 7. The Qatar court judgment remains confidential, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also met the family members of the eight naval personnel, assuring them of full government support. New Delhi had been granted consular access to the eight Indians and had been working to secure their release. The Indian nationals had their first trial in late March.