Indian sailors return home from Togo

Mumbai/Kochi: Indian Merchant Navy Capt Sunil James and sailor V Vijayan, released Thursday, arrived in Mumbai and Kochi, respectively, on Friday almost five months after their incarceration in a Togo jail.
James and Vijayan were arrested July 31 along with at least another Indian sailor of “MT Ocean Centurion” near the west coast of Africa.
The release of James was fast-tracked after Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam from Mumbai North took Aditi, her sister Avni and brother-in-law Rakesh Madappa to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi seeking India’s intervention in the matter.
James reiterated his thanks and gratitude to the PM, the Indian High Commission officials in Togo and the Indian community settled in the West African nation.
In Kochi, Vijayan too thanked the PM. “I am thankful to the prime minister who helped us through his intervention with the authorities in Togo,” he told reporters after he arrived at the airport here from Mumbai.
He, however, showed his displeasure against the media and also the state government, which, according to him, did nothing in his time of need.
“My wife was running from pillar to post for 10 days and you (the media) did nothing to help her and now you are after me to know things,” said Vijayan, a third engineer in the ship that was first hijacked and abandoned after a few days.
According to him, they are still clueless as to why they were jailed.
“For three days, we were blindfolded and held as hostage by the kidnappers and after they went away, Togo authorities took over their ship and we ended up in jail,” said Vijayan. (IANS)