Doha: Eight former Indian Navy officers, who worked for a company that provides training and other services to the Qatari Emiri Navy, have been allegedly detained in Doha for 59 days as of Thursday, October 27.
The reason for there detention has not been revealed as of yet.
This incident came to light when a woman named Meetu Bhargava on Tuesday, October 25, tweeted and appealed to the government for help.
Meetu Bhargava, described as a ‘teacher and spiritual being’ on the Twitter.
Meetu Bhargava in a series of tweet said, “Eight #IndianNavy veterans who had served the motherland are in illegal custody/detention in Doha (Qatar) for 57 days as on date. Request & plead our Indian Govt to act fast & get all these distinguished officers repatriated to India without any further delays @narendramodi.”
In another tweet, Meetu has tagged Prime Minister and several ministers including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Puri.
According to the Indian Express, the former naval officer worked for a company called Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services.
Commander Purnendu Tiwari (retired) is among the eight detained Indians. He received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award from the then President of India Ram Nath Kovind in 2019. His profile on the company’s website reads— Purnendu commanded a minesweeper and a large warship in the Indian Navy.
In this regard, Indian journalist Shiv Aroor, on Thursday, October 27, took to Twitter and wrote, “8 @IndianNavy veterans (incl Cdr Purnendu Tiwari Retd.👇🏽) working with Qatar firm Dahra Global have reportedly been under detention by the Qatar State Security Bureau for nearly 2 months now. Reason unclear. Company provides services to Qatari forces. @IndEmbDoha in the picture.”
Indian mission has praised the company
According to Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services website, the company has received praise from the Indian Mission in Doha.
Ambassador Deepak Mittal has said that the company is doing great work to build the capability and capabilities of the Qatar Defense Forces. “You are a testament to the Indian leadership’s vision of partnering with friendly countries and sharing our experiences,” he said.
Since obtaining the honour of organizing the 2022 World Cup, Qatar has been subjected to many criticisms, especially with regard to human rights and foreign workers.
The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said, on Tuesday, that Qatar is being subjected to a “campaign that it has never been subjected to.”
In a speech he delivered during the opening of the Shura Council contract, the Emir added, “Since we won the honour of hosting the World Cup, Qatar has been subjected to an unprecedented campaign that no host country has faced. We dealt with the matter initially in good faith, and even considered some criticism to be positive and useful.”
