THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: We have no clue why we were arrested and what the charges against us were,” said retired Indian Navy officer Ragesh Gopakumar, who was freed after 529 days in Qatar jail. “Had we committed any crime as reported in the media, Qatar would not have released us,” he added.
Gopakumar, who retired as sailor from Indian Navy, said he was arrested during odd hours at night. “We were just instructors in a defence training agency owned by an Omani national. The agency had no direct links with the defence sector of Qatar,” said the Thiruvananthapuram native. Gopakumar was a veteran communicator in Indian Navy, and he joined the Qatar-based agency after receiving an offer considering his expertise in the field.
Only eight Indian instructors were given death sentences and jailed, while the rest had minor cases against them, he said. “There were over 100 employees at the agency where I was working. Among them, only eight of us were instructors. We instruct young military personnel on navigation, command and other things. We or our agency were not at all capable of leaking any defence secrets of Qatar, as the agency was not in touch with the nation’s defence sector directly,” said Gopakumar.
“On our 36th day in jail, an Indian embassy official in Qatar visited us and discussed some details. There was no progress in the initial days but after the new ambassador took charge, there was some momentum. Vipul, Indian ambassador to Qatar, was a hope for us as he used to visit us in jail with always a promise that we all would be released at any cost,” said Gopakumar.
After we were given the death sentence, the issue was dealt with directly by the foreign ministry, he said. “The foreign minister held talks with his Qatar counterpart and Prime Minister Modi spoke to Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. It was this talk that finally paved the way for our release,” he added.
Gopakumar, who retired as sailor from Indian Navy, said he was arrested during odd hours at night. “We were just instructors in a defence training agency owned by an Omani national. The agency had no direct links with the defence sector of Qatar,” said the Thiruvananthapuram native. Gopakumar was a veteran communicator in Indian Navy, and he joined the Qatar-based agency after receiving an offer considering his expertise in the field.
Only eight Indian instructors were given death sentences and jailed, while the rest had minor cases against them, he said. “There were over 100 employees at the agency where I was working. Among them, only eight of us were instructors. We instruct young military personnel on navigation, command and other things. We or our agency were not at all capable of leaking any defence secrets of Qatar, as the agency was not in touch with the nation’s defence sector directly,” said Gopakumar.
“On our 36th day in jail, an Indian embassy official in Qatar visited us and discussed some details. There was no progress in the initial days but after the new ambassador took charge, there was some momentum. Vipul, Indian ambassador to Qatar, was a hope for us as he used to visit us in jail with always a promise that we all would be released at any cost,” said Gopakumar.
After we were given the death sentence, the issue was dealt with directly by the foreign ministry, he said. “The foreign minister held talks with his Qatar counterpart and Prime Minister Modi spoke to Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. It was this talk that finally paved the way for our release,” he added.
