‘Please bring Purnendu home’: 88-year-old mother of Indian Navy veteran detained in Qatar seeks answers | Exclusive

At 88, Pramodini Tiwary says she has only one prayer left: to see her son, former Indian Navy officer Commander Purnendu Tiwary, return home from Qatar.

In a written interview with LiveMint, she spoke about the anguish of watching her 67-year-old son remain in Doha after years of detention and uncertainty, and what she described as repeated assurances that his return was only a matter of completing certain formalities.

“As a mother, I was heartbroken when, on 12 February 2024, I learnt that my son, Cdr Purnendu Tiwary, was the only one left behind in Doha while his seven fellow Navy veterans returned to India,” she said.

Tiwary said the family was repeatedly assured that only a few formalities remained before her son could return to India.

“We were repeatedly assured that only some formalities remained and that, once completed, Purnendu too would return home. The MEA had also publicly stated that he had to complete certain paper formalities before his return,” she said.

But the wait has continued.

She said her son suffers from several ailments, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which the family attributes to his prolonged solitary confinement.

“He is suffering from multiple serious ailments, including PTSD following prolonged solitary confinement. Every additional day of incarceration is taking a severe toll on his physical and psychological well-being,” she said.

For the elderly mother, the years of separation have become an ordeal in their own right.

“At 88, I am a shattered mother. I have only one prayer: that God show mercy on my son, end his suffering and bring him safely home.”

She said, “No mother should have to spend the precious twilight years of her life waiting endlessly for her son. Please bring Purnendu home.”

Purnendu Tiwary remains only Navy veteran left behind

Purnendu Tiwary was among eight former Indian Navy personnel detained in Qatar in 2022 in an espionage case that attracted widespread attention in India.

His family says he endured prolonged solitary confinement from 30 August 2022 to 12 February 2024.

On 12 February 2024, seven of the eight veterans returned to India, while Tiwary remained in Doha.

The family says it was told that certain formalities had to be completed before his return. More than two years later, it wants clarity on what those formalities were and why they have taken so long to resolve.

Tiwary subsequently became involved in a separate financial case in Qatar.

His family has questioned the six-year sentence imposed in that matter and cited subsequent court proceedings, which, according to them, found him not guilty in a separate case initiated by Dehra Global's CEO.

MEA says embassy is providing consular assistance

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), meanwhile, maintained that the Indian Embassy in Qatar is providing consular assistance to Tiwary and remains in contact with his family.

Earlier in April, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, responding to media queries, said Indian officials had met Tiwary in prison and were in regular contact with his family.

“Our embassy is in touch with Commander Tiwary and his family and is providing all possible consular assistance,” Jaiswal said.

Family says it deserves answers

In a post on X, Tiwary's sister, Meetu Bhargav, alleged that embassy officials had failed to maintain meaningful communication with the family and had not responded to repeated requests for information.

The family says the lack of communication has compounded the distress of an ordeal that has now stretched across years.

Bhargav said she has appealed to the Indian Navy and the wider defence fraternity to stand by the former officer.

She has also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to intervene and facilitate her brother's return to India.

Decorated Navy veteran awaits return home

Tiwary is a decorated former Indian Navy officer and recipient of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, presented to him in 2019 by then-President Ram Nath Kovind. His family says he was the first Armed Forces veteran to receive the honour.

Today, however, his family says they are less concerned with his honours than with seeing him safely return.

His 88-year-old mother's appeal is simple: "Please bring Purnendu home.”