Foreign and Commonwealth Office minister Hugo Swire told families of former soldiers jailed in India that he will be paying a visit to the country.
And Yvonne MacHugh, fiancee of Billy Irving, from Connel in Argyll, said there was a ray of hope in the form of a new British High Commissioner who has visited the men in prison.
All are being held in “horrendous” conditions, according to relatives, after being sentenced to five years behind bars on weapons charges while working as security guards on ships to combat the threat of pirates.
Around 60 friends and relatives of the six held a rally ahead of a meeting yesterday afternoon in Carlisle, Cumbria, with Mr Swire.
Miss MacHugh and Mr Irving, 37, an ex-paratrooper, have a son William, aged one, who has only seen his father once.
Miss MacHugh said: “The meeting was a lot of the same rubbish that they tell us every time they speak to us. They can’t interfere in another country’s legal process. It didn’t fill me with very much hope.
“The only blessing we heard was there is a new high commissioner in Delhi. He is really good and has already been to see the men and he has only been in post for six weeks.
“That is one bit of comfort.
“Mr Swire said he does plan to go out to India but he hasn’t said what he is going to be doing.”
She described the prison conditions as “horrendous” in sweltering 43C heat with inadequate water, food and toilets.
Ex-Paratroop Regiment member John Armstrong, 28, from Wigton, Cumbria, is also being held. His sister Joanne Thomlinson is flying to India on Friday for a second visit to see him at Puzhal Prison near Chennai.
She said: “They were just there to prevent pirate attacks.
“They are trying to keep their spirits as high as possible. The conditions are not good, they sleep on a concrete floor, conditions really you would expect inside an Indian prison.”
Kirsten Oswald, SNP MP for East Renfrewshire, who accompanied the families at the meeting, said: “These guys are all veterans who were trying to keep people safe, and in return this is what’s happened.
“I would like to see a bit more pressure on the FCO.”
Mr Swire said ahead of the meeting: “I recognise what an extremely difficult time this is for all those involved.
“The appeals process is ongoing and as we have previously stated, we cannot interfere with India’s independent legal system, but we will continue efforts to make sure this case is resolved swiftly.”
