Celina Jaitly's ongoing struggle to secure the release of her brother, Major (Retd) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly, from detention in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) echoes the plot of the 2024 Bollywood thriller "Jigra," starring Alia Bhatt. In the film, Bhatt portrays a woman who goes to extreme lengths to save her brother from a death sentence abroad. For Jaitly, this storyline has become a reality as she navigates the complexities of international law and personal hardship to fight for her brother's freedom.
Vikrant Jaitly, a retired Special Forces officer and former UN peacekeeper, has been detained in the UAE since September 2024. According to Celina, he was taken from a mall, and for nearly nine months, his whereabouts were unknown, with no formal arrest record or access to legal representation. She learned later that he was being held at the Al-Wathba Detention Centre in Abu Dhabi. The reasons for his detention remain unclear, with Celina stating that authorities have only cited "national security" as the reason, without providing further details or charges.
Celina Jaitly has been actively pursuing legal avenues to assist her brother. She approached the Delhi High Court seeking legal and medical assistance for him, alleging that he was detained and held without communication or proper care. The Delhi High Court has directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to facilitate legal representation for Vikrant and ensure communication between the siblings. The court permitted Celina to file an additional affidavit with new facts concerning her brother's detention. A UAE-based legal firm, Khalid Almarri Partners and Advocates, will represent Vikrant.
Jaitly's fight for her brother's release has been complicated by personal turmoil. She described herself as being in an abusive marriage in Austria while simultaneously fighting for her brother's freedom. She stated that she had stepped away from her career for over 15 years, entrusting her partner with finances and property, only to lose access to her assets and sons.
The parallels between Celina Jaitly's real-life struggle and "Jigra" are striking. In "Jigra," Alia Bhatt's character, Satyabhama, is a fiercely protective sister who dedicates herself to ensuring her younger brother, Ankur's well-being. When Ankur is imprisoned in a foreign jail after being implicated in a crime, Satyabhama embarks on a perilous journey to save him. She confronts numerous obstacles and risks everything to secure his release.
Like Satyabhama, Celina Jaitly has demonstrated unwavering determination in her efforts to help her brother. She has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for intervention, emphasizing that soldiers "are not just numbers" and that the nation should support them. She has also been vocal about the lack of information and transparency surrounding her brother's detention, stating that there was no formal arrest record for nearly nine months, and she was initially unaware of his whereabouts.
Celina Jaitly's situation underscores the emotional and logistical challenges faced by families when loved ones are detained abroad. Her fight for her brother's release, mirroring the themes of "Jigra," highlights the importance of family bonds, perseverance, and the pursuit of justice in the face of adversity.