8 Indians sentenced to death in Qatar, MEA says 'deeply shocked'

Eight Indian employees of the Al Dahra company have been sentenced to death penalty by the Court of First Instance of Qatar on Thursday. The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement expressed deep shock regarding this incident while it awaits detailed judgment.

"We are in touch with the family members and the legal team. We are exploring all legal options," the statement read.

"We attach high importance to this case, and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities. Due to the confidential nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture," it said.


The eight Indian nationals have been imprisoned in Qatar since October 2022 and were accused of allegedly spying on a submarine programme.

New Delhi had been granted consular access to the eight Indians and had been working to secure their release. The Indian nationals had their first trial in late March. Meetu Bhargava, who is the sister of one the officers detained and lives in Gwalior, sought help from the Indian government to bring her brother back.

In a post on X on June 8 she had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene.

"These Ex Navy officers are the pride of the nation & again I request our Hon'ble Prime Minister with folded hands that it is high time that they all are brought back to India immediately without any further delay pl. @narendramodi @AmitShah @rajnathsingh @MOS_MEA" she posted on X.

(This is a developing news, please check back for more updates)