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Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Detained in Doha: Tech Mahindra Qatar head's parents plead for justice
A paneer paratha made by his mother and an English version of the Bhagvad Gita handed over by his parents to 'help find courage' in the darkest hour are the straws of hope that 45-year-old Amit Gupta — the Region Head of Tech Mahindra for Qatar and Kuwait — has been grasping at, over six months after he was allegedly detained by authorities in Qatar in January for 'unknown reasons'. His parents have travelled from Vadodara to Doha, camping there since May this year, to provide 'moral support' to their son, even as the anguish continues for the family seeking justice. Retired ONGC employee JP Gupta (73) and his wife Pushpa (65) have been granted weekly half an hour in-person meetings with Amit, who remains confined in 'a room without windows' at an undisclosed detention center in Doha since January. When they first met Amit on their arrival in May, the Guptas said he 'cried like a child'. JP Gupta says, 'Since he was taken into custody on January 1, he has not been informed till date what are the charges against him; neither is there any formal case that we are aware of. He has been locked in a room since that day, with no human interaction. When we met him, we could see that it had taken a toll on his health. He only cries for help and asks us to speak to those who can help. We have been telling him that we are trying every possible avenue but we have not found any glimmer of hope yet…' Hanging on to hope Gupta adds that they handed over an English version of the Bhagvad Gita to Amit to 'help him find courage'. Gupta says, 'The authorities allowed us to bring food for him in the last two meetings… He had asked his mother to bring paneer paratha. We were able to take one piece of paneer paratha… We gave him the English Bhagvad Gita … we were not allowed to hand over the Hindi version. It is our hope that in these small interactions, he will hold on to his inner strength, which is fast depleting… All we have been asking for is a fair trial. If there is a crime he has committed, let the Qatari authorities prosecute him and end this uncertainty. At least tell us what is the reason that he is in such confinement…' The parents described that the meeting was facilitated with the intervention of the Embassy of India while Amit's company, Tech Mahindra, has extended logistical support to allow the parents to travel to Doha to meet Amit. 'Tech Mahindra applied for our visas and also arranged for our tickets. They had also arranged for our stay at a hotel, but we requested them to allow us to stay in Amit's apartment here…' said his parents. 'We met with the Ambassador of India to the State of Qatar and the Embassy of India has told us that it has been trying its best but the Qatari authorities have been saying that they are preparing a report… It appears that without an intervention at the ministerial level, authorities in Doha have refused to entertain the pleas. We can only implore that our numerous letters to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar's office should be heard for the safety of our son,' his father said. Gupta says that Amit's local lawyer has not been allowed to meet him as yet. Of cries and solitary confinement 'They tell us that the lawyer can only interact once the case comes to the court… We have learnt that the Qatar authorities did inform the local court that they need to extend his custody but at the end of the stipulated period, the courts granted extension without considering the pleas of Amit's lawyers… Amit has no information about what is happening outside. We have been allowed to meet about four times — for half an hour on Sundays. At the main gate of the detention centre, our passports are taken and a vehicle is sent to the road to ferry us inside the facility… We are then frisked, and our belongings deposited. We are taken to a room and made to wait for about 15 minutes before Amit is brought out for a face to face interaction. He only keeps crying… They last interrogated him in January and thereafter, he is only in solitary confinement,' shares his father. This is the second visit of the senior-citizen couple to Doha since Amit's detention. Although the couple has sought an extension of visa to stay back, they feel that being in Doha will not expedite the case against their son. 'We are only keen on staying back to be able to meet him and give him strength. Over the phone, he expresses extreme thoughts and it leaves us worried… It is an ordeal, not just for him but for the entire family that is awaiting his release. It is our request that the Indian government must intervene to initiate the process as it may be. We are only seeking basic human rights for our son. If the Indian government does not intervene in such matters, where should common Indians go?' Gupta says. Amit moved to Doha in 2013 to work with Tech Mahindra and has been elevated to the position of Region Head of Qatar and Kuwait, reporting to his Dubai-based manager. He was detained on January 1 for an alleged probe, details of which are yet to be disclosed by the Qatari authorities.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Uncertainty grips family of Indian tech boss detained in Qatar
Every week, JP Gupta's heart sinks when he hears his son cry on the phone. The grim ritual began in January when Amit Gupta, a senior Indian technology officer in Qatar, was detained on charges that haven't been made public yet. Almost three months on, his family in India say they still don't know what crime he is accused of. "He is allowed to speak to us for just five minutes [a week] and all he says is: 'Dad, I have not done anything wrong', and then breaks down," his father says. Amit Gupta is the country head for Indian technology company Tech Mahindra in Kuwait and Qatar. He moved to Doha, Qatar's capital, for work in 2013. His father told the BBC that he was "picked up by Qatar state security department officials from a restaurant near his office on 1 January" without being given a reason. Qatar's interior ministry has not responded to the BBC's questions on why Amit Gupta was detained. The BBC has approached Tech Mahindra for comment. A company spokesperson earlier said it was in close contact with the family and providing "necessary support" to them. "We are also actively coordinating with authorities in both countries and adhering to the due process. Ensuring the wellbeing of our colleague is our top priority," the company said. Tech Mahindra, an Indian software services and consulting company, operates across 90 countries including Qatar and has more than 138,000 employees. The Indian government hasn't officially commented yet on Amit Gupta's case. But sources in the country's foreign ministry told the BBC that the Indian embassy in Qatar was "closely following the case". "The mission has been in touch with the family, the lawyer representing Amit Gupta and Qatari authorities on a regular basis," the sources said. "Our embassy continues to provide all possible assistance in the matter.' Amit Gupta's wife Aakanksha Goyal, however, says the government should do more to secure her husband's release. She wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office, saying that her husband was "under immense mental pressure/trauma". "Our frequent appeals to the concerned authorities in Doha have not yet yielded any positive response," she wrote. The letter was acknowledged on 18 February and referred to India's foreign ministry but nothing has happened since then, Ms Goyal told the BBC. "We have sought a meeting with Prime Minister Modi and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. Until they intervene, we don't expect anything will happen," she said. In February, Amit Gupta's parents travelled to Doha and managed to meet him with the help of Indian embassy there. "When we saw him, he just hugged us and cried. He kept repeating that he had done nothing wrong," his father said, adding that his son hasn't been questioned by investigators in Qatar yet. "If they have not found anything against him, he should be released," he said. Hundreds of thousands of Indians live and work in Qatar. This is the second high-profile case of Indians being detained or arrested in Qatar to make headlines since 2022. Last year, a court in the Gulf country released eight former Indian naval officers who had been sentenced to death. Neither Qatar nor India revealed the charges against the men, who were working for a private firm in Qatar. But media reports said the men were charged with spying for Israel. The commuting of the death sentences was seen as a diplomatic triumph for Modi, whose administration shares a warm relationship with Qatar. In February, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, paid a state visit to India, accompanied by a high-level delegation. During the visit, the two countries elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership. While Amit Gupta's anxious family wait anxiously, Ms Goyal says she is finding it hard to answer questions from their children, aged 11 and four. "My children keep asking me what happened to their father. My son's birthday is in April and he is expecting Amit to be there as usual," she says.
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Tech Mahindra: Family of Indian citizen detained in Qatar wait for answers
Every week, JP Gupta's heart sinks when he hears his son cry on the grim ritual began in January when Amit Gupta, a senior Indian technology officer in Qatar, was detained on charges that haven't been made public yet. Almost three months on, his family in India say they still don't know what crime he is accused of. "He is allowed to speak to us for just five minutes [a week] and all he says is: 'Dad, I have not done anything wrong', and then breaks down," his father says. Amit Gupta is the country head for Indian technology company Tech Mahindra in Kuwait and Qatar. He moved to Doha, Qatar's capital, for work in father told the BBC that he was "picked up by Qatar state security department officials from a restaurant near his office on 1 January" without being given a interior ministry has not responded to the BBC's questions on why Amit Gupta was BBC has approached Tech Mahindra for comment.A company spokesperson earlier said it was in close contact with the family and providing "necessary support" to them."We are also actively coordinating with authorities in both countries and adhering to the due process. Ensuring the wellbeing of our colleague is our top priority," the company Mahindra, an Indian software services and consulting company, operates across 90 countries including Qatar and has more than 138,000 employees. The Indian government hasn't officially commented yet on Amit Gupta's case. But sources in the country's foreign ministry told the BBC that the Indian embassy in Qatar was "closely following the case"."The mission has been in touch with the family, the lawyer representing Amit Gupta and Qatari authorities on a regular basis," the sources said. "Our embassy continues to provide all possible assistance in the matter.' Amit Gupta's wife Aakanksha Goyal, however, says the government should do more to secure her husband's wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office, saying that her husband was "under immense mental pressure/trauma"."Our frequent appeals to the concerned authorities in Doha have not yet yielded any positive response," she letter was acknowledged on 18 February and referred to India's foreign ministry but nothing has happened since then, Ms Goyal told the BBC."We have sought a meeting with Prime Minister Modi and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. Until they intervene, we don't expect anything will happen," she February, Amit Gupta's parents travelled to Doha and managed to meet him with the help of Indian embassy there."When we saw him, he just hugged us and cried. He kept repeating that he had done nothing wrong," his father said, adding that his son hasn't been questioned by investigators in Qatar yet."If they have not found anything against him, he should be released," he of thousands of Indians live and work in Qatar. This is the second high-profile case of Indians being detained or arrested in Qatar to make headlines since 2022. Last year, a court in the Gulf country released eight former Indian naval officers who had been sentenced to death. Neither Qatar nor India revealed the charges against the men, who were working for a private firm in Qatar. But media reports said the men were charged with spying for commuting of the death sentences was seen as a diplomatic triumph for Modi, whose administration shares a warm relationship with Qatar. In February, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, paid a state visit to India, accompanied by a high-level delegation. During the visit, the two countries elevated their relationship to a strategic Amit Gupta's anxious family wait anxiously, Ms Goyal says she is finding it hard to answer questions from their children, aged 11 and four."My children keep asking me what happened to their father. My son's birthday is in April and he is expecting Amit to be there as usual," she says.
