'In touch with family; extending all possible support': MEA on Indian ex-naval officer detained in Qatar

Responding to a media query regarding the continued detention of ex-naval Commander Purnendu Tiwari despite relief in another separate case, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal clarified that multiple legal proceedings involving him should not be conflated.

Jaiswal told the media, "On the question regarding Commander Tiwari, let me make it very clear: please don't conflate two issues. The court judgment that you are talking about is a separate March 12th court judgment. He was sentenced by Qatar's Court of Cassation along with the Omani owner and other Qatari officer. This judgment came in February of 2026. The other case that you are referring to, of March 12th, that's a separate case in which he has been given relief, but presently he is detained in this particular case on which the Court of Cassation of Qatar gave a ruling, sentenced him. That judgment came in February of 2026."

He said, "We are in touch with his family, and we are extending all possible support. I would again like to mention, because we see that all issues get jumbled up, that this case, in which Commander Tiwari has been sentenced, is a separate case from the one in which he and others were released following the Government of India's intervention. There are two separate cases."

In an earlier press briefing, the MEA had also assured that it is mobilising all diplomatic channels and arranging legal assistance for Indian nationals detained in Qatar.

Earlier, eight former Indian Navy personnel -- Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal and Sailor Ragesh -- were detained in August 2022.

While seven of the eight individuals had returned to India, Jaiswal had previously said that the eighth remains in Qatar due to certain pending requirements.

On December 28, 2023, Qatar's Court of Appeal commuted the death sentences awarded to all eight men earlier in October 2023. The individuals had been accused of espionage related to a submarine programme, though charges were not officially made public.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai, where discussions included bilateral ties and the well-being of the Indian community in Qatar. (ANI)