Qatar Court Denies Bail for Indian Navy Veteran Purnendu Tiwari

The Cassation Court in Doha, Qatar, has rejected the bail plea of Commander Purnendu Tiwari, the only former Indian Navy officer still detained in connection with a financial case. His family shared this information, expressing deep concern over his declining health while in custody. Commander Tiwari, who is 65 years old, has faced serious medical issues during his detention, which began in December 2023.

Meetu Bhargava, Tiwari’s sister, has made a heartfelt appeal to the Indian government for intervention. “With folded hands, I humbly request the Hon’ble Prime Minister and the Hon’ble External Affairs Minister to immediately intervene and bring my brother back to India without any further delay,” she stated. Bhargava emphasized that her brother’s ongoing detention contradicts previous assertions of humanitarian grounds for his potential release.

The family is particularly troubled by Tiwari’s health condition, which she describes as life-threatening. “What is the Indian government or the MEA waiting for — for his condition to worsen further?” Bhargava questioned, highlighting that Tiwari has been suffering in Doha for the past four years, including the last two months in jail.

Bhargava has also alleged that the CEO of Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, the company for which Tiwari worked, shifted financial liabilities onto her brother. She claimed that Tiwari was coerced into signing documents regarding his alleged involvement while in solitary confinement. “He remains imprisoned despite having committed no wrongdoing,” she added, calling for urgent government action.

In August 2022, Commander Tiwari and seven other former Indian Navy personnel were detained during an investigation in Qatar. Although the Qatari authorities initially sentenced them to death in 2023, these sentences were later overturned, and all eight veterans were pardoned by the Amir of Qatar following diplomatic engagement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While seven of the eight veterans returned to India in February 2024, Tiwari’s case remains unresolved, raising questions about his status and the governmental response. Bhargava noted that her brother was also subjected to these events but has not yet been allowed to return home, despite similar circumstances to his fellow veterans.

The family’s distress is compounded by their mother’s age; being 87 years old, she has been waiting for Tiwari’s return for over three years. The Indian government has been involved diplomatically in securing the release of the detained veterans, with Prime Minister Modi personally raising the issue with Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar.

Tiwari, a navigation specialist, has a distinguished naval career, having commanded INS Magar and served on various Rajput-class destroyers. In 2019, he became the first armed forces veteran to receive the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, an honor presented by then-President Ram Nath Kovind.

As the family awaits a response from the Indian government, the situation continues to attract attention, particularly given the humanitarian implications for Commander Tiwari’s health and well-being.