The family of merchant ship captain Sunil James, who is currently under arrest in Togo in Western Africa, will be visiting the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday.
Captain James’ brother Rakesh Madappa told The Hindu that the family received a call from PMO a day ago and was asked to come to New Delhi on Tuesday morning. “Sunil’s wife Aditi, her sister and I will be going there tomorrow. We haven’t been told as to who will meet us, but we see this as a one small positive step,” he said.
While sailing through the coast of Western Africa in July 2013, Captain James’ ship was attacked by pirates. After reaching the coast of Togo, he informed the authorities about the incident. However, he and two other crew members were arrested on charges of aiding the pirates. Since then, the family has approached every possible authority for his release and had even written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
On December 2, his 11-month-old son Vivaan died after he developed gangrene in the intestine. Since then, the dead body has been kept in hospital’s morgue and the family is waiting for Captain James’ return to perform the last rites.
The family is also in constant touch with the Indian High Commission in Ghana, as Togo does not have an Indian embassy. Mr. Madappa said that the officials from Indian Embassy in Ghana are in touch with lawyers in Togo and also with the government.
Satish Sakleshpur, Second Secretary (HOC), HCI, Accra on Monday visited the cabinet secretary of Togo regarding Captain James’ release.
