NEW DELHI: India may take up the case of eight naval veterans on death row in Qatar with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his India visit on Friday, according to sources. Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will reach Delhi on November 10 for the ‘2+2’ meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
“There has been a buzz of backchannel talks to repatriate these eight naval veterans,” a source said, adding that India may also be seeking the intervention of other countries. India has been walking a diplomatic tightrope after a Qatari court handed death penalty to these former Navy officers on October 26, sending shockwaves across the country.
The officers were working for a company called Dahra Global Technologies & Consultancy Services in Doha before they were picked up by Qatari authorities on August 30, 2022. They were subsequently jailed and charges framed against them. Out of the six charges, three were later nullified in the judgment. The remaining three charges carried the same punishment.
The legal team representing the former Navy personnel has already filed an appeal against the verdict. “When the officers heard the verdict on October 26, they didn’t understand as the announcement was brief and in Arabic. It was only later that they learnt about it.
They were deeply shattered but averred that they did nothing against the Qatari law,” said people familiar with the matter. The family members of the naval veterans have been trying in vain to get their dear ones released. Some have begun signature campaigns to make people aware of the case and garner more support, which they hope will help in the release of the decorated officers. According to sources, the family members have been advised to sign an indemnity bond, whose details are not clear. However, some are reluctant to sign it as the bond will bind them to certain rules.