NEW DELHI: A celebratory dinner will be held on March 1 for the naval veterans who returned to India after being held in custody in Qatar. While seven of the veterans are back, one of them is still in Doha. The dinner is being organised by the Directorate of Ex-Servicemen Affairs (DESA) of the Navy.
"The invite includes logistical support (travel and stay) for the seven veterans and their spouses. The officials who are back have accepted the invite. However, it would have been prudent if they had waited for the last veteran to return," said a source.
The Chief of Naval Staff will be hosting the dinner at Kota House, New Delhi, on March 1.
It has been just over a week since the release of the eight naval veterans was announced (February 12th) by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Seven of the eight naval veterans returned to Delhi from Doha around 2 am on February 12th.
Meanwhile, the eighth veteran, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, is facing a travel ban. Even though he is living in his own house in Doha, he will be permitted to return to Delhi after he is let off in an additional case that he has been implicated in.
The seven naval veterans who have returned are Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vashist, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal and Sailor Ragesh.