The Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday informed the Delhi High Court that Shahzadi Khan, a 33-year-old caregiver from Banda, Uttar Pradesh, was executed in the UAE on February 15. Khan was sentenced to death for the alleged homicide of an infant under her care, a charge her family insists was based on a forced confession.
Khan had traveled to Abu Dhabi on December 19, 2022, on a tourist visa before securing employment as a caretaker. In February 2023, her employers accused her of causing the death of their infant son, leading to her arrest. The court sentenced her to death on July 31, 2023, a ruling upheld by an appellate court on February 28, 2024. She was held in Al Wathba Central Jail until her execution.
Her father, Shabbir Khan, had petitioned the Delhi High Court to confirm her legal status, only to receive the grim confirmation of her execution. The MEA, represented by Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, stated that all diplomatic efforts were exhausted, including providing legal assistance. However, despite the family’s appeal, no clemency proceedings were initiated.
The case has sparked controversy, with the petition claiming that the infant died in December 2022 after routine vaccinations, but the parents refused a postmortem. Instead, authorities allegedly secured a confession video from Khan, which the family argues was extracted under torture.
The Indian embassy is now assisting Khan’s family in traveling to Abu Dhabi for her last rites on March 5. The execution has raised serious questions about the fairness of the trial, diplomatic efforts, and the treatment of Indian workers abroad.
