NEW DELHI: Family members of the eight Indian Navy veterans who have been held captive in Doha since August 2022 have been permitted to visit them. This visit has been facilitated by the company they were working for -- Dahra Consultancies.
"This is being viewed as a goodwill gesture by Dahra as they have provided for the air travel and accommodation and have ensured that the visit is seamless. Dahra has already offered the officers a severance package and would be shutting down all operations in Doha on May 31," said a source.
The second hearing in the case in which the eight have been charge-sheeted is on May 3.
"It is possible that these family members will be allowed to attend the hearing. It is likely that they would be informed about the charges that have been levelled against them. Some sources have been pointing out that some charges are common for the eight naval veterans and also the CEO of Dahra Global (Khamis al-Ajmi) and Major General Tariq Khalid Al Obaidly (former head international military in Doha) (both of them are out on bail)," said a source.
Meanwhile, the Ambassador of India in Doha, Deepak Mittal, has returned to India. The new Ambassador hasn’t taken charge yet.
The Indian government has been regularly following up with the authorities in Qatar to enable these eight veterans to be repatriated home.
"The first hearing of the case was on March 29 and the second hearing is on May 3. The charges have not been shared so far. We attach high priority to this case and we would like to see early repatriation of our nationals," said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.