Tag: The Times of India

  • India ‘Shocked’ At Qatar Death Penalty For 8 Citizens

    India ‘Shocked’ At Qatar Death Penalty For 8 Citizens

    India said Thursday that eight of its citizens had been sentenced to death by Qatar in a case that media reported involved high-ranking ex-naval officers accused of spying.

    New Delhi said it would “take up the verdict with Qatari authorities” and would continue to “extend all consular and legal assistance” to the prisoners, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

    “We have initial information that the Court of First Instance of Qatar has today passed a judgement in the case involving eight Indian employees of Al Dahra company,” the statement added.

    “We are deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement.”

    Al Dahra is a Gulf-based company that offers “complete support solutions” to the aerospace, security and defence sectors, according to its website.

    There was no immediate confirmation from the Qatari authorities.

    India’s foreign ministry gave no further details on the eight condemned or their alleged crimes.

    “Due to the confidential nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture,” the ministry statement added, saying it was “exploring all legal options”.

    However, several Indian media outlets reported that among those sentenced were ex-naval officers -– including former captains and commanders -– and that the men had been arrested in Doha in August 2022.

    The Times of India, Hindustan Times and the Press Trust of India all reported that the men were arrested for an “alleged case of espionage”.

  • ‘I hope my Muslim friends can live in peace forever in India’; Times of India removed Zubin Mehta’s comment from interview

    ‘I hope my Muslim friends can live in peace forever in India’; Times of India removed Zubin Mehta’s comment from interview

    Distinguished classic music conductor Zubin Mehta has claimed that The Times of India omitted one line from an interview he recently gave to them. Mehta had said, “I hope my Muslim friends can live in peace forever in India”.

    He made the allegation towards the end of a conversation with journalist Karan Thapar. Mehta gave the statement after he was asked about his views on the “sort of country” India was becoming, especially in view of its treatment towards the minorities, particularly Muslims.

    “It [the line] was cut off, and the writer couldn’t give me a reason why”, he added, to which Thapar responded, “They don’t want to offend Mr. Modi and the government,”

    “How would that offend anybody? …This morning I read that they were burning churches in Pakistan. One has to get over this madness of religious persecution. Hopefully, things will change,” Mehta expressed.

    According to The Wire, Mehta’s excluded comment was not incorporated in the print version of The Times of India. But on Monday, August 21, the online version included the quote after Mehta publicly pointed it out.

    The Times of India responded to Zubin Mehta’s on X that the interview had been “trimmed to fit the page” and “the line being referred to was towards the end of the interview and got left out in that process”.

    But The Wire evaluated that the 33 worded line that was cut actually fits and got restored in middle of the interview rather than the end of it.

    X users respond

    While some praised the censorship, many Indians criticized The Times of India and showed their concern about the increasing hatred towards Muslims in the country.