The tale of the Alia Bhatt-starrer Bollywood film ‘Jigra’ grew to become actual for actor Celina Jaitly, as she is combating to safe the discharge of her brother from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Celina’s brother served within the Indian Military.
Primary (Retd) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly has been beneath “arbitrary detention” within the United Arab Emirates for the closing 17 months, mentioned Jaitly. The retired Particular Forces officer and previous UN peacekeeper was once picked up from a mall in September 2024. For just about 9 months, his whereabouts remained unknown without a formal arrest on report and no get right of entry to to criminal illustration, she mentioned.
“I were given to grasp round September 29. The decision got here at round 9 at night time,” Jaitly mentioned, including, “I used to be residing in Austria then. To start with, I believed my brother was once enjoying a prank. For an hour, I brushed aside it as one in every of his silly jokes.”
“I used to be in an overly abusive and dangerous marriage. However in case you have youngsters, you do the entirety to make that paintings. Whilst you wouldn’t have oldsters, while you now not have your belongings, you do the entirety to stay your marriage going, in particular to your youngsters”, mentioned Celna whilst describing her marriage. For over 15 years, she mentioned, she stepped clear of her profession, entrusting her spouse with funds and assets simplest to later lose get right of entry to to each her belongings and her 3 sons.
Jaitely mentioned when information of her brother’s detention reached her, she was once already at snapping point. Status up for him intended escaping her personal instances.
“I took that call in the course of combat, with out dragging my youngsters into it,” Jaitly mentioned.
“Realizing that if I don’t depart Austria, I gained’t be capable of get up for my brother. At 1 o’clock within the night time, with rarely any cash, a price ticket purchased on a bank card, I left Austria and got here to India.”
What adopted was once every other blow. Pals and kin she grew to become to, she claimed, in large part stayed away. “No person in point of fact got here ahead to improve,” Jaitly mentioned, including that many handled the problem as a “taboo” and washed their palms of it.
“In my darkest hour, I realised I had neither buddies nor circle of relatives in my quick circle… As a substitute, strangers got here and stood via me like a rock.”
Returning to India introduced little respite. Jaitly mentioned she needed to search a court docket injunction simply to go into her Mumbai house, alleging that her estranged husband was once making an attempt to promote the valuables with out her consent. With diplomatic channels yielding no readability on her brother, Jaitly approached the Delhi Top Court docket, submitting a writ of habeas corpus. It was once simplest after the petition that government disclosed a prosecution quantity and showed her brother’s location.
“We have now just one prosecution quantity, and that too I won simplest once I put my writ petition prior to the Honourable Delhi Top Court docket. All I used to be instructed was once a obscure identify of ‘Nationwide Safety.” There may be nonetheless little or no readability on why Vikrant was once taken and why he’s in detention.”
“After he retired from the military, he joined his spouse within the Center East. She had shaped an organization referred to as the Matiti Team, which had more than a few verticals from knowledge era to cyber safety to chance control and HR products and services, and Vikrant went on to enroll in her company similar to another veteran”, says Celina.
Via criminal and criticism channels, it was once showed in mid-2025 that Vikrant were shifted to the Al Wathba detention centre in Abu Dhabi. The Delhi Top Court docket has since handed an order permitting a UAE-based criminal company to constitute him, a transfer Jaitly has described as a long-awaited step forward. As she shared the replace on social media, voices from the movie business additionally rallied in the back of her, together with actor Preity Zinta, who publicly expressed improve.
Calling herself a “fourth-generation militia daughter”, Jaitly mentioned she has taken the topic to the easiest ranges of Indian management, together with High Minister Narendra Modi.
“My brother is an Indian soldier. He can’t be left in arbitrary detention.”
Jaitley, who gained the identify of Femina Pass over India in 2001 and was once the 4th runner up at Pass over Universe the similar 12 months, had a a success profession in motion pictures prior to she left it to settle in married lifestyles. She starred in field administrative center hits similar to “No Access”, “Apna Sapna Cash Cash”, “Golmaal Returns”, “Zinda”, “Thank You”, and critically-acclaimed brief movie “Seasons Greeting”.
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