Eight Former Indian Navy Personnel Sentenced to Death in Qatar on Espionage Charges

Convicted personnel were employed by Al Dahra Global Tech & Consultancy and said to be working on a secret submarine project; Indian Foreign Ministry to explore all legal options while opposition raises the issue as a major diplomatic challenge for Modi administration.

Eight former employees of Al Dahra Global Tech & Consultancy, all ex-Indian Navy men, have been sentenced to death in Qatar on charges of espionage; they were supposedly working on a clandestine submarine project.
The individuals sentenced include Captains Navtej Singh Gill, Birendra Kumar Verma, and Saurabh Vasisht; commodores Amit Nagpal, Sanjeev Gupta, Purnendu Tiwari, and Sugunakar Pakala; and sailor Ragesh, who all had long and 'unblemished' stints in the Indian Navy.
India's foreign ministry, which was 'deeply shocked' by the verdict, has vowed to explore all legal options and maintain constant touch with the convicts' families and legal team, while taking up the matter with Qatari authorities.
The opposition in India has deemed the situation a significant diplomatic hurdle for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration, with the Congress party expressing 'anguish, distress, and shock' and urging the government to ensure the release of the men.
Despite the controversy, India and Qatar have a previously friendly relationship, with nearly 800,000 Indians employed in Qatar, and bilateral trade valued at $15bn per year; moreover, Qatar's head of state, emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, possesses the power to pardon such sentences.