Eight ex-Navy personnel sentenced to death by a Qatar court in October – for charges not yet known – will face commuted punishments, the Indian government said this afternoon. Details about the reduced terms – most likely heavy jail time – are unclear since the judgement has not yet been released. 

The Indian government has said it is in “close touch with the legal team, as well as family members, to decide on the next steps”. “We have stood by them since the beginning, and we will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also continue to take up the matter with Qatari authorities.”

The arrested personnel are Purnendu Tiwari, Sugunakar Pakala, Amit Nagpal, and Sanjeev Gupta, who are Commanders, and Navtej Singh Gill, Birendra Kumar Verma, and Saurabh Vasisht, who are Captains. The eight is Sailor Ragesh Gopakumar. The charges against them were never made public.

Several of them are highly-decorated military personnel who once commanded Indian warships, and were working for a private firm providing training and related services to Qatar’s armed forces.

Families of the eight spoke to NDTV and flatly denied the spying allegations.

READ | “Went To Build Qatar’s Security”: Families Of Indian Sailors On Death Row

They were “not engaged in espionage for Israel”, the families said. “They went to build the Qatari Navy and build that nation’s security. They could never spy. There are no proof of allegations…”

READ | 8 Navy Veterans Get Death In Qatar, “Shocked” India To Contest Order

The next steps in this case are unclear now but, under the terms of a 2015 agreement, “Indian prisoners convicted in Qatar can be brought back to India to serve the remaining part of their sentence”. There is a similar provision for Qatari citizens convicted in India.

All eight have been in jail since August last year and were handed death sentences on October 26, after a brief trial in March. Bail was denied numerous times during their incarceration and trial.

An appeal was immediately lodged and, last month, the Qatari court accepted that appeal. The eight were working for Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services when arrested.

READ | Qatar Accepts India’s Appeal Against Death Penalty To 8 Navy Veterans

Commuting of the death sentence comes weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Qatari ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, on the side-lines of CoP28 summit in Dubai.

READ | Indian Envoy Meets 8 Navy Veterans On Death Row In Qatar“

Details of the conversation were never made public, but there was speculation this issue was raised.

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A 25-year-old who lost her life after being run over by an SUV in Jaipur became the victim of a drunken altercation she was trying to defuse, police said. 

Two men, who were acquaintances, had got into an argument while they were drinking at the hotel, and the matter escalated when they stepped out. The woman – who was a friend of one of the men – tried to intervene, but the other man got into a car and ran them both over, killing her on the spot.

The CCTV footage of the incident, which took place on Tuesday, has been widely shared, leaving the city in shock.

Police said Uma Suthar, who worked at an event management company, had gone to the hotel in the Jawahar Circle area with her friend, Rajkumar. One of Rajkumar’s acquaintances, Mangesh Arora, also went there a little later. 

Rajkumar and Arora, who were both drinking, got into an argument. Officials said that, by the time they came out of the hotel, it was around 5.30 am on Tuesday. The fight between the two escalated and Uma tried to step in to defuse the situation, but Arora got into his SUV and rammed both Rajkumar and her. While Uma died on the spot, Rajkumar was injured

Police said Uma’s father is a carpenter and the family, which also consists of her younger brother and sister, depended on her earnings to a large extent.

Arora’s father is a spice trader in Haryana and he was living alone in a flat in Mother Teresa Nagar. Arora’s neighbours said they are shocked that he could do such a thing.

“We are investigating the incident, which was the result of a drunken fight. We are also speaking to the people in the hotel to understand the sequence of events,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Gyan Chand Yadav.

After making waves with her role in Tiger 3, Katrina Kaif is gearing up for the release of Merry Christmas. The film directed by Sriram Raghavan will see the actress alongside Vijay Sethupathi. Now, she has opened up about the project.

Merry Christmas marks Katrina Kaif’s first collaboration with Sriram Raghavan. Opening up about working with the director, the actress shared, “Working with Sriram Raghavan sir was a dream come true for me. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had that opportunity; He’s a phenomenal director with an incredible mind, and being on his set is like entering a whole different world. He’s an amazing collaborator, both as a filmmaker and as a person.”

She added, “It was a very intense experience, especially doing the film in two languages. All of us have been very passionate about making this film from day 1 and are very excited for the release. ”

Merry Christmas revolves around a fateful meet-cute on Christmas Eve. The film which also features Sanjay Kapoor, Radhika Apte and others, promises an intriguing holiday mystery. It will arrive in cinemas on January 12, 2024.