NEW DELHI: The judgement in the ongoing trial of eight Indian naval veterans in Doha will be announced on Thursday. The families of the eight naval veterans are hopeful that their repatriation is round the corner.
"We are hoping to have them back by Diwali. There is optimism in our houses and we are presuming that they will be back," said a relative of one of the veterans.
The eight veterans are Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh.
They were picked up by Qatar’s Ministry of Interior on August 30, 2022 for questioning and never returned home. They were kept in solitary confinement and were later charge sheeted (details of which have not yet been made public).
In October 2022, they were asked to go back home and pack their bags to return to India, but by the time they returned with their bags there was a change of heart and they were sent back to their solitary confinement cells. The bags that these veterans had brought with them are in their possession in their cells. They have been living under twin sharing basis for the past few months.
The eight worked for Dhara Consultancies which had to down its shutters earlier this year.
"The seventh hearing on the charges that have been levelled against officers was held on October 3. On October 1, India’s Ambassador in Doha and Deputy Head of Mission met the eight naval veterans. We have also been in touch with their families on a regular basis, extending all possible assistance," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said earlier.
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