The family of jailed Merchant Navy Captain Sunil James has said they will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to secure his release from a month-long detention in the West African country of Togo for him to attend the last rites of his eleven-month-old son.
Sunil James is facing charges of aiding pirates. Efforts are on for James' release so that he can join his family in Mumbai to perform the last rites of his 11-month-old son, who died this month.
James has been under arrest in Togo since July 31 on suspicion of aiding pirates who had attacked and looted his Marshall Islands-flagged MT Ocean Centurion ship on July 16.
James' brother-in-law Rakesh Madappa said they came to seek help from Singh.
"I have come here to basically meet the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) and probably Mr. Rahul Gandhi as well. We are hoping that they will help us get Captain Sunil James out of Togo and we will also be going to meet Member of Parliament Sanjay Nirupam who's going to help us facilitating these meetings," said Madappa.
Earlier in September, James' wife, Aditi, had stated that her husband had been living on bread for the past one month and that he had fever and an infection in one eye, and the cell had no proper medical aid.
Aditi said she has been pursuing the case with the governments of India and Ghana and added that Sunil James' condition was deteriorating and nothing was being done about it.
"We have come here to meet Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh). We are just hoping that he helps us in the release of my husband," she said.
James' 11-month-old son, Vivaan died on December 2 after developing gangrene in his intestine while undergoing treatment at Andheri's Holy Spirit Hospital in Mumbai.
His body has been kept in the hospital morgue's cold storage.
