Eight former Indian Navy officers have been put on death row by a Qatar court after over a year of detention. India intends to challenge the verdict.
The ex-officers are entangled in an espionage case. They are accused of spying on Qatar’s navy for the Israelis.
The Hindustan Times spoke to ex-Navy spokesperson Capt. DK Sharma about the ‘brilliant’ ex-officers. He has reportedly worked with jailed ex-officers.
Commander Tiwari was given the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award in 2019 by then-Indian President Ram Nath Kovind.
Captain Gill is reportedly the son of a retired army officer and lives in Chandigarh. He was also awarded the President’s Gold Medal for his service.
Commander Nagpal, who was junior to Captain Sharma, was a communication and electronic warfare specialist.
Commander Gupta had developed an expertise in gunnery during his time with the Indian Navy. He also was junior to Captain Sharma.
Captain Verma specialized in navigation and direction, Captain Sharma told HT. Verma’s wife also reportedly had a military background.
Captain Vasisht and Commander Pakala were both technical officers in the Indian Navy.
While not much is known about Ragesh, he is the only sailor amongst the eight former officers who have been put on death row in Qatar.