NEW DELHI: After spending over ten months in solitary confinement, the eight former Indian Navy officers detained in Qatar are now lodged on a twin sharing basis in Doha.
“This move has brought some respite to the veterans as they have someone to talk to. Each cell has two officers living together,” said a source.
After being on their own for over ten months, the move has also improved their emotional well-being.
“Families of the veterans who are in Doha, or those who come visiting from India, are allowed to meet them. Once a week, phone calls are also being permitted to those who have families back home in India,” said the source.
Meanwhile, after two hearings were held in July, the next hearing for the ongoing trial has been fixed for October 3. There are no hearings for two months in August and September.
“The investigators too have been questioned during the ongoing trial, and though exact details of the charges are not known yet, there is optimism that justice will prevail and the veterans will be repatriated,” added the source.
Meanwhile, the Indian government is extending all possible support to these veterans which includes legal aid.
The expenses that Indian government has spent on the legal aid on Doha has increased from Rs 7.4 lakh in 2022 to Rs 8.41 crore (until June 2023). These numbers were disclosed in Parliament by India’s Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan recently, while giving a break-up of the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) for all 119 Indian diplomatic missions and consulates across the world. The ICWF, set up in 2009, assists Indians in times of distress and emergency.
