Why is the Modi government sitting silent on the arrest of eight former Indian Navy officers in Qatar?
More than 100 days have passed but the families of eight retired Indian Navy officers working in Qatar are still waiting for their return home.
Commander (retd) Purnandu Tiwari, Captain (retd) Nutej Singh Gul, Commander (retd) Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain (retd) Saurabh Vashisht, Commander (retd) Sugnakar Pukala, Commander (retd) Amit Nagpal, Commander (retd) Amit Nagpal And Sailor Ragesh was working in a private company called Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy in Qatar.
The families of two of these officers have told the BBC that they were informed that the eight Indian nationals were detained by Qatari authorities on August 30 and have been held in solitary confinement since then.
It is not yet known what was the reason for the arrest.
A senior editor of a media institute in Doha said that there has been no statement from the Qatari government on this matter, nor have they seen any news about it in the Qatari media.
Emails sent by the BBC to Qatar’s Ministry of Information, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Foreign Affairs went unanswered.
Qatar is one of the richest countries in the Middle East. The soccer World Cup was recently held there, but questions continue to be raised about the state of human rights while the media avoids criticizing the government.
According to human rights organization Human Rights Watch, criticizing the Emir of Qatar, insulting the Qatari flag and criticizing Islam are some of the major crimes in Qatar.
More than 70,000 Indians work in Qatar. According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, more than half of the total supply of liquefied natural gas in India comes from Qatar.
In the year 2020-21, India’s bilateral trade with Qatar was $9.21 billion. More than 6,000 large and small Indian companies operate in Qatar.
In such a situation, the mysterious arrest of eight Indian nationals, who are also ex-Navy officers, has shocked their families.
Navdeep Gill, brother of Captain (retd) Nutej Singh Gill said, “We are joining hands and asking the government of Qatar and the government of our country to allow these people to be brought back to the country as soon as possible.”
Meetu Bhargava, sister of 64-year-old Commander (retd) Purindu Tiwari, said her 84-year-old mother was very upset over the situation.
Earlier, in a tweet, former Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, Admiral (retd) Arun Prakash, asked the Indian government to review its relations with the Qatari government in view of the issue.
Speaking to the BBC, he said: ‘It is shocking and disturbing that he has been imprisoned, not charged, not prosecuted, not explained. Why they have been detained.’
They say that if (they) are guilty then they should be punished, if they are not guilty then (they) should be released, but it is not right to keep (them) in custody like this.
But why these eight Indian citizens are not able to return to their homeland, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not revealed much information in this regard.
An email sent to the Indian Embassy in Qatar did not receive any response.
However, India’s foreign minister has said that the issue of the eight arrested Indian nationals is his priority, and the Indian ambassador and senior officials are in constant contact with the Qatari government.
Dr. Ali Baqir, assistant professor at Qatar University and non-resident senior fellow of the American think tank Atlantic Council, says, “Qatar and India have good relations which should be taken advantage of in this matter.”
“I think this issue will be resolved between Qatar and India using legal and diplomatic channels,” he said. There is an agreement between the two governments that Indian citizens sentenced in Qatar can complete the remainder of their sentences in India.
But on the other hand, in the absence of concrete information, many speculations and rumors are taking place.
According to Meetu Bhargava, “We feel that this is a case of corporate rivalry between the companies.”
It should be remembered that in a part of the international media, it has been linked to alleged espionage, but no evidence has been revealed in this regard so far.
The arrested persons used to work for a company called Dehra Global, but now there is no content available on the company’s website.
When we called the company’s reception in Doha and requested to speak to officials, the person who picked up the phone said they could not transfer the call forward.
Relatives of former naval officers imprisoned in Qatar are pleading with the Modi government to arrange the release of their loved ones.
Dr. Ali Baqir, assistant professor at Qatar University and non-resident senior fellow of the American think tank Atlantic Council, says, “Qatar and India have good relations which should be taken advantage of in this matter.”
“I think this issue will be resolved between Qatar and India using legal and diplomatic channels,” he said. There is an agreement between the two governments that Indian citizens sentenced in Qatar can complete the remainder of their sentences in India.
But on the other hand, in the absence of concrete information, many speculations and rumors are taking place.
According to Meetu Bhargava, “We feel that this is a case of corporate rivalry between the companies.”
It should be remembered that in a part of the international media, it has been linked to alleged espionage, but no evidence has been revealed in this regard so far.
The arrested persons used to work for a company called Dehra Global, but now there is no content available on the company’s website.
When we called the company’s reception in Doha and requested to speak to officials, the person who picked up the phone said they could not transfer the call forward.
Relatives of former naval officers imprisoned in Qatar are pleading with the Modi government to arrange the release of their loved ones.
