Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, in Doha, Qatar on June 05, 2016 | Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
In a sudden and shocking turn of events, eight former Indian Navy officials who were incarcerated in Qatar on unknown charges since August 30th of last year were “sentenced to death” by a Qatari 'Court of First Instance.' Families of the eight navy veterans who held onto a sliver of hope that back-channel efforts may secure their release now face the most extreme prospect — Death Row.
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The details of the present case are far too sketchy and opaque to justify such an extreme sentence in such a short trial. There have hardly been three hearings since the first one on March 22nd this year. Since their incarceration in September 2022, the Indian government has provided the navy veterans with the “best” legal assistance. It is unlikely that substantive arguments from the (local) defence counsel would be heard and addressed in just three hearings over seven months.
The “death sentence” has left the Indian establishment “deeply shocked,” as per the MEA statement put out on October 26th soon after sentencing. The MEA statement indicates an ‘unexpected outcome’ while also hinting at the opacity of charges framed against the officials. Meanwhile, Qatar has acted in complete secrecy, moving from trial to conviction in seven months. Apparently, Indian authorities have been taken by complete surprise. Often, when expectations fall woefully short of outcomes in such cases, one is left with nothing but tears. I know this from personal experience. I am sure the affected families, even strangers with a conscience, had a lump in their throats when this news broke yesterday.
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Sanjeev (First Course of 10+2(X), “Oceans Best”), my namesake & one of the convicted, is known as “Chote” or “Don” in our course. His small frame hides an outsized heart and rock-solid patriotism while his ever-helpful nature earned him the latter epithet. Such is his obsession with propriety and fairness that on one of my earliest visits to his hometown Agra, he dragged my errant auto-rickshaw driver all the way from the bus station to the local police station to register a complaint for charging ‘excess to metre’. His peers and subordinates will recount numerous anecdotes where his “dildaar” and “can do” attitude saved the day.
I can sign a character certificate for these two officers with my eyes closed. So can a multitude of naval officials who have known or worked with these eight veterans, including sailor Ragesh. These are honest, above-board gentlemen who worked with the same zeal and commitment in Indian Navy service as in their selected fields post-retirement. I challenge those who know them personally to publicly reveal to me a single act of indiscretion that even remotely points to suspicions of the nature they have been charged with.
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There are, quite obviously, missing pieces to this puzzle yet to be uncovered by investigative noses from India. But, I fear, under a climate of “ab tum chup raho” and nosediving indices of press freedom, facts may never come out, even if they lurk beneath the surface, or, worse still, point to the establishment. Meanwhile, Qatar has proceeded unapologetically, thumbing their noses at our soft-pedalling attitude (remember, our VP visited Qatar during FIFA World Cup inaugural). The latest judgement can best be described as a resounding slap on the face of Indian diplomacy. Is it okay to be “deeply shocked” at such travesties when “Vishwaguru” is the image that is unabashedly being promoted by all arms of the government?
The terrible turn of events couldn’t have come at a more inopportune moment for the convicted veterans and their families. Dahra Global Technologies in Qatar is no longer a going concern, which means the Navy veterans are pretty much on their own. India’s nuanced position on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and support to the Palestinian cause will be put to test against Qatar’s emerging role in working out a rapprochement between the Arab world and Israel, even as world leaders weigh their options. Our relationship with Qatar will head South if the ensuing diplomatic row after the latest imbroglio is not settled on mutually acceptable terms. India is in the grip of ICC cricket world cup fever where absurd theatrics and sporting fervour can easily eclipse real-life problems. If all this was not bad enough, India is headed into the general election season where parties will politicise every available opportunity.
The downside of hypnotising billions with an image of “world leader” or “Vishwaguru” is that sometimes problems crop up that demand the full agency of such leaders to step in and solve complicated problems. Now the unthinkable has happened — eight Indian Navy veterans are on DEATH ROW in a friendly foreign country, and the MEA under our strongman, EAM S Jaishankar, is “deeply shocked.” Whatever that means in diplomacy, this event has no precedence in modern India. The minions, influencers, ambassadors, and lawyers have done their bit, had their say. No more passing of the buck is possible. The issue is right here on the table of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruler of a wealthy Middle East kingdom that served us a 14-month notice.
Bring Back our naval veterans on Death Row in Qatar NOW.
(Kaypius is the pen name of the author who is a writer and a full-time aviator)
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