NEW DELHI: Relief was writ large on the faces of the seven naval veterans who landed at Delhi airport in the early hours of Monday after over 17 months of incarceration in a prison in Qatar, with spells of solitary confinement and a death sentence hanging over their heads for a few months.
The veterans, who chanted slogans of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Hip Hip Hurray’ while exiting the airport, were full of praise for the Indian govt’s sustained diplomatic efforts and PM Modi’s personal intervention in securing their release.
“I feel delighted to finally be back in India safe and sound. I wish to thank PM Modi because this would not have been possible had it not been for his personal intervention. I also wish to express my gratitude to the Emir of Qatar,” Captain Navtej Singh Gill (retd) said.
Added Commander Sanjeev Gupta (retd), “Without the intervention of PM Modi, we would not have been standing in front of you today…intervention at that highest level to get us freedom, and the untiring and consistent efforts of the government of India.”
The other veterans echoed similar sentiments.
Commander Purnendu Tiwari is now the only veteran left in Qatar, though he too has been released from prison and is back at his Doha home. His sister Meetu Bhargava said her happiness was “slightly dampened” since Commander Tiwari was yet to return home. But, she added, she was sure it would happen very soon.
Retired officers and friends, who all along had maintained that the seven officers and a sailor arrested in Qatar in August 2022 had exemplary and unblemished track records in the Navy, also heaved a sigh of relief.
Former naval aviator and test pilot Commander K P Sanjeev Kumar (retd), who counts Commanders Sanjeev ‘Chote’ Gupta and Amit ‘Naggy’ Nagpal as his academy course-mates, said, “A rollercoaster over the last 17 months finally ends with the best outcome possible. A note of thanks is definitely due to leaders and diplomats from both sides who brought a case shrouded in secrecy to its culmination in a short period.”
“While the naval veterans rehabilitate and heal from this trauma, a larger question arises, the answer to which we may never know: Why were they incarcerated and who will compensate them for a career and life derailed?” he asked.
The veterans, who chanted slogans of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Hip Hip Hurray’ while exiting the airport, were full of praise for the Indian govt’s sustained diplomatic efforts and PM Modi’s personal intervention in securing their release.
“I feel delighted to finally be back in India safe and sound. I wish to thank PM Modi because this would not have been possible had it not been for his personal intervention. I also wish to express my gratitude to the Emir of Qatar,” Captain Navtej Singh Gill (retd) said.
Added Commander Sanjeev Gupta (retd), “Without the intervention of PM Modi, we would not have been standing in front of you today…intervention at that highest level to get us freedom, and the untiring and consistent efforts of the government of India.”
The other veterans echoed similar sentiments.
Commander Purnendu Tiwari is now the only veteran left in Qatar, though he too has been released from prison and is back at his Doha home. His sister Meetu Bhargava said her happiness was “slightly dampened” since Commander Tiwari was yet to return home. But, she added, she was sure it would happen very soon.
Retired officers and friends, who all along had maintained that the seven officers and a sailor arrested in Qatar in August 2022 had exemplary and unblemished track records in the Navy, also heaved a sigh of relief.
Former naval aviator and test pilot Commander K P Sanjeev Kumar (retd), who counts Commanders Sanjeev ‘Chote’ Gupta and Amit ‘Naggy’ Nagpal as his academy course-mates, said, “A rollercoaster over the last 17 months finally ends with the best outcome possible. A note of thanks is definitely due to leaders and diplomats from both sides who brought a case shrouded in secrecy to its culmination in a short period.”
“While the naval veterans rehabilitate and heal from this trauma, a larger question arises, the answer to which we may never know: Why were they incarcerated and who will compensate them for a career and life derailed?” he asked.