Captain Sunil James, freed from Togo jail, returns to India after 5 months

Indian merchant ship captain Sunil James who was freed from a jail in the west African country of Togo has returned to India today. He arrived in Mumbai at around 3 pm today. The family of James had been seeking his release so that he could return home for the last rites of his 11-month-old son Vivaan who died on 2 December of septicaemia in a Mumbai hospital. James’s wife Aditi, his mother, two brothers, sister-in-law and brother-in-law Rakesh Madappa are eagerly awaiting his arrival after five months. The entire family will be at the airport to receive him, reported Times of India. [caption id=“attachment_1297929” align=“alignright” width=“380”]  Indian sailor Captain Sunil James’s wife Aditi and mother during an interaction with the media at their residence in Mumbai on Thursday. PTI[/caption] “Now, I can grieve my son’s death,” a visibly distraught Aditi told Hindustan Times. HT reports that although James is aware of his son’s death, the family is worried about how he will cope with the grief once he gets home. “It has been a very tough fight but it has finally come to an end. He should have come back earlier, but now that he is coming back, I will not complain. I am grateful to the government,” Aditi told ToI. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said James and another Indian sailor, Vijayan, have begun their journey back to India. “After meet between India’s High Commissioner in Accra and President Gnassingbe of Togo, Captain Sunil James and Vijayan released. Now with High Commissioner K. Jeeva Sagar,” the spokesperson had earlier tweeted. James had stopped at Togo to report an attack on his ship MT Ocean Centurion by pirates when he was arrested 31 July, along with two other crew members, for allegedly aiding the pirates. His wife Aditi and other family members had requested the Indian government’s intervention to secure his release. Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam, who helped the family meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to urge the government’s intervention, said he was happy at the news of James being freed. “We are happy, it was a long battle, we have won the battle,” he said.