Families slam PM for putting trade deals before heroes as she fails to push for Chennai Six’s release
The failures left families of the six men bitterly disappointed last night
THERESA May and two of her Cabinet ministers failed to push for the "Chennai Six’ war heroes" release during recent face to face meetings with India’s leaders, it has emerged.
The new PM didn’t raise the wrongly jailed men’s plight when she held talks with Indian boss Narendra Modi in China two weeks ago.
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and Development Secretary Priti Patel also didn’t bring up their case on their visits to Delhi since being appointed to the Cabinet in July.
The failures left families of the six men bitterly disappointed last night.
Some of the ex-soldiers’ relatives accused Mrs May’s government – which is keen to win a post-Brexit trade deal from India - of abandoning them to serve their full five year prison terms in Chennai.
In contrast, David Cameron repeatedly lobbied Mr Modi when he came to London last year and with two follow up letters subsequently.
Yvonne Machugh, fiancée of ex-para Billy Irving, said: “We can’t trust the very people who are supposed to help us - this is betrayal of the highest regard.
“If they had even an inch of humanity they’d put this right and bring them home.”
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Lisa Dunn, sister of former para Nick Dunn, added: “I am outraged and deeply frustrated that our Government, who assured us they would continue to raise this case at the highest levels, have completely ignored imperative opportunities and fallen on their promises.
“This in itself is a further travesty and it is quite clear that they are disregarding these meetings to add the much needed pressure that I know they can.
The Sun has demanded their release after the six ex-troops, with a combined total of 74 yeras of service, were wrongly convicted in January of gun running to terrorists.
The men all had permission to carry firearms on a ship they were protecting from pirates.
Pressed by the Sun on if she will do all she can to free them, Mrs May said at a UN summit in New York last week: “This has been a case which has been running for a while.
“The Government has over time and since I became Prime Minister has consistently raised it with the Indian government, and we will continue to do so.”
But No10 still refused to openly criticise India for holding the men yesterday.
The PM’s official spokesman insisted: “We would not pass comment on India’s judicial system”.
Newly-appointed Minister for Asia Alok Sharma was the last minister to raise the men’s case on his first visit to India in July.