New Delhi: Ragesh Gopakumar, one of the eight Indian Navy veterans released by the Qatar government, expressed immense joy and gratitude upon returning home and reuniting with his family after enduring months of captivity in the tiny Gulf nation.


"We are simply grateful to be alive... grateful to be back home," a relieved Gopakumar stated, emphasizing that their survival was solely attributed to their rigorous Defence training, reported PTI.


He, along with seven other former Navy personnel, was freed by Qatar two days ago after their death sentences were commuted to varying jail terms.


Manasa Vashisht, the wife of one of the eight Indian Navy veterans - Saurabh Vashisht, said that the entire government, including PM Modi, EAM S Jaishankar, and the Indian embassy in Qatar, were very supportive.


"Since the beginning govt of India supported us. They (govt) said that they'd be putting 100% effort into bringing all 8 men back home and they kept their promise... PM Modi, EAM S Jaishankar, the Indian embassy in Qatar and the entire govt were very supportive... We are thankful for the new lease of life," she said.








His father, RK Vashisht, said, "I would like to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and EAM S Jaishankar... They have made the impossible possible. We talked to EAM S Jaishankar regularly and he fulfilled his promise of bringing all 8 officers back home safely... This is a kind of charisma we used to have in fictional stories..."





Meanwhile, Ragesh Gopakumar, in an interview with PTI, described the ordeal of confinement as "terrible." Whenever someone enquired what the plight of his family had been when he was in prison, he would ask them to imagine a situation where a husband who used to speak to his wife at least five times a day suddenly stopped calling her.


He attributed his release to the prayers of his family and the concerted efforts of the Union government. He particularly commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi, crediting his intervention for facilitating their release.


Gopakumar retired from the Indian Navy in 2017 and subsequently joined the Oman Defence training company as a communications instructor, reported PTI.


The eight Indian Navy personnel had faced charges of espionage, although neither the Qatari authorities nor New Delhi had disclosed the specific allegations against them.


Initially sentenced to death by Qatar’s Court of First Instance on October 26, their capital punishment was commuted to jail terms ranging from three to 25 years by the Court of Appeal on December 28. The Court of Appeal had granted a 60-day window to appeal against the prison terms.


In December last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani during the COP28 Summit in Dubai, discussing the welfare of Indians in Qatar.


National Security Adviser Ajit Doval reportedly played a pivotal role in negotiating with Qatari authorities to secure the release of the Indian nationals.